WVFF Releases 2025 Local Expenditure Report

WEST VIRGINIA (July 15, 2025) – The West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF) has released the 2025 West Virginia Annual Qualified Settlement Fund (QSF) Expenditure Report for Local Governments for the time period 7/1/23-6/30/24. The report outlines how the 24.5% share of opioid settlement funds distributed directly to Local Governments was used during the past fiscal year.

WVFF was established to carry out the terms of the West Virginia First Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): a landmark agreement between the West Virginia Attorney General and Local Governments that ensures opioid settlement funds are invested strategically and transparently across all regions of the state.

Under the MOU:

• 72.5% of the funds are managed by WVFF, a private nonprofit charged with the long-term, evidence-based distribution of funds across six regions.
• 24.5% are distributed directly to Local Governments. Although WVFF does not oversee or direct how these local funds are used, it is required to collect and report on local expenditures each year per the MOU.
• 3% are allocated to the Office of the West Virginia Attorney General, supporting enforcement, compliance, and coordination. These funds are also outside of WVFF’s oversight.

Although WVFF was not a plaintiff in any of the national opioid litigation, the Local Governments who were parties to the lawsuits agreed, under the MOU, to submit expenditure information annually. This level of local reporting is both novel and unprecedented, positioning West Virginia among the few states in the nation to publicly disclose how direct local opioid settlement dollars are being used.

“This is a critical part of our mission; not just to distribute funds strategically through the Foundation’s own grantmaking, but to help the public understand how every opioid settlement dollar is being used across the state,” said Jonathan Board, Executive Director of WVFF. “Local Governments have flexibility in spending their share of the settlement in accordance with the outlined Approved Uses, and our job is to make sure their efforts are reported clearly and accurately, in keeping with the MOU.”

In collaboration with the Office of the West Virginia Attorney General, WVFF is also developing educational materials and resources to help Local Governments responsibly and transparently use their settlement funds. Updates and guidance will be made available at wvfirst.org.

The 2025 QSF Expenditure Report for Local Governments is available now at https://wvfirst.org/qsf/.