Grant Award Wednesday - OneOhio Recovery Foundation Announces 27 New Grant Awards 

The OneOhio Recovery Foundation announced it has awarded more than $3.5 million in grants to support 27 projects across the state to help combat substance misuse by supporting prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across Ohio.

“With the start of a new year comes renewed promise for the future, and we’re pleased to support these organizations working to deliver hope to individuals and families across the state,” said Alisha Nelson, executive director of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation. “These investments are significant and we’re confident they’ll make a tangible impact as we continue our fight against addiction.”

Note: Grants announced should not be considered an exhaustive list.

These 27 new grant awards are part of more than $51 million allocated for the 2024 Regional Grant Cycle and were selected from 1,442 funding requests totaling $581 million from organizations statewide. Grantees were chosen in a collaborative process that included input from the OneOhio Regions, Expert Panel, Grant Oversight Committee and Board of Directors.

Additionally, the OneOhio Recovery Foundation’s Board of Directors has given preliminary approval for more than 20 additional grant awards. This approval authorizes Foundation staff to negotiate grant agreements with recipient organizations, and awards are publicly announced once grantee organizations complete the grant verification process. Several grant recommendations remain in the review process.

Grant Award Wednesdays will continue, as needed, until all grant awards are announced. A complete list of recipients can be found at OneOhioFoundation.com/GrantAwards.

The 2024 Regional Grant Cycle is just the first of several grant opportunities to come. Organizations and leaders seeking to submit applications in the future can sign-up on the Foundation’s website here to receive updates.

DeWine Signs ‘Parents’ Bill of Rights’ Legislation, 28 Other Bills

Gov. Mike DeWine signed a stack of bills Wednesday, January 8, from the lame duck legislative session, including House Bill 8, the so-called “Parents Bill of Rights” that includes a section mandating that all Ohio public schools add policies allowing for religious educational release.

DeWine also signed House Bill 206, which allows school districts to expand their expulsion polices to cases that might not have traditionally qualified for permanent expulsion. Most of what DeWine signed Wednesday takes effect in 90 days.

'A Very, Very Small Number' of Teens Receive Gender-Affirming Care, Study Finds

How many transgender teens in the U.S. are receiving medical care related to gender transitions? According to a peer-reviewed research letter published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, the answer is very, very few.

The study found that less than 0.1% of teenagers with private insurance in the U.S. are transgender and receive gender-related medicines. A recent mental health survey from the CDC found a much higher percentage — 3% of high school students — self-identified as transgender.

However, not all transgender people seek a medical diagnosis, or treatments related to their identity. "It's a very, very small number of people that has managed to eat up all of the oxygen in our political discourse over the last few months," Hughes observed.

Property Tax, Cannabis, Fracking Top Priorities for New Ohio Statehouse Leaders

The 136th Ohio General Assembly began to take shape this week as the Ohio House and Senate cemented their respective leadership teams and disclosed priorities over the next two years.

Priorities among Republican leaders include efforts to address rising property taxes; further regulate marijuana by adjusting the framework that legalized recreational use; and focus on energy independence through fracking.

Democratic leaders, meanwhile, said they’ll focus on bringing down the cost of living in Ohio, including on housing (through property tax reform and other means) and health care.