WVFF Issues Request for Applications for $19.2M Momentum Initiative Grant

WEST VIRGINIA (September 5, 2025) – The West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF) announced today the release of a Request for Applications (RFA) for its Momentum Initiative Grant (MIG), a $19.2 million funding opportunity designed to advance WVFF’s mission of preventing substance use disorder, supporting recovery, and saving lives across the state.

Applications will officially open on Monday, September 22, 2025, and close at 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST on Friday, October 10, 2025. This launch coincides with National Recovery Month: a reminder of the hope that exists when prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts come together.

The MIG represents a strategic shift in WVFF’s grantmaking by adopting a merit-based distribution model that removes geographic funding boundaries and establishes award caps upfront. This approach ensures fairness, transparency, and clarity for applicants.

To support organizations preparing to apply, WVFF has launched a web form to collect questions, which will remain open through noon on September 12. On September 15, WVFF will release a comprehensive list of these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) along with a step-by-step video tutorial demonstrating how to navigate the Foundation’s new grant portal. This portal was designed to streamline the process and make it more user-friendly than the previous cycle.

Funding will be distributed across five target areas:

1. Foster Care & Non-Parental Caregivers ($3.9M): Programs serving foster youth and kinship caregivers with a required statewide reach, demonstrating impact and presence across all six regions of WV. The remaining four target areas are intended for projects with regional impact.
2. Youth Prevention ($4.0M): Evidence-based prevention for at-risk youth, with emphasis on ages 8–13.
3. Recovery Housing ($3.8M): Expansion of certified recovery residences through construction or purchase.
4. Workforce Development ($3.75M): Building capacity in behavioral health professions through training and pipelines.
5. Reentry Programs ($3.75M): Strengthening day report centers and services that reduce recidivism.

Organizations may apply to the statewide Target Area and one other regional Target Area OR can apply to no more than 3 regional Target Areas.

“West Virginia deserves bold solutions that match the scale of our challenges,” said Jonathan Board, Executive Director of WVFF. “After our first grant cycle, the Initial Opportunity Grant, we listened. We traveled across the state, met with our awardees and with those who applied but did not receive funding, and gathered their feedback throughout the past year. From that input, we have built a stronger, more responsive grant application process. The Momentum Initiative Grant will allow us to invest in transformational projects with the capacity to deliver measurable, lasting change for our communities.”

Jon Dower, Chairman of the WVFF Grants Committee, added: “We listened to our constituents, see the immediate needs within our communities, and we know West Virginians are ready to meet this challenge. This grant cycle is about more than funding programs; it’s about restoring hope and creating opportunity. The Momentum Initiative Grant gives us the chance to stand alongside organizations doing life-changing work and ensure West Virginians know they are not alone in this fight.”

The formal RFA, additional details on the MIG, and the FAQ submission link can be found here: https://wvfirst.org/mig/