Finally, hard-won opioid settlement money can make it’s way from the pharmaceutical corporations held accountable for their irresponsibility to the harm-reduction groups and treatment centers working to end the overdose crisis.

But fair equitable, research-based policies and practices responding to the overdose crisis face an uphill battle — including unnecessary barriers from the prison industrial complex, competition from law-enforcement groups, and a stigma among policymakers and the general public that makes good public health policy difficult to implement.

The upcoming distribution of opioid settlement funds are a pivotal point where these problems can be solved or get worse, depending on how they are used. It’s critical that organizers and advocates working on these issues in this moment have tools and methods to maximize their impact as well as their resilience given the challenges ahead.

In partnership with Open Society Foundations, our 2023 Overdose Justice Campaign aims to increase the impact of groups working on overdose and public health in the U.S. We’ll focus on the effect these groups can have on policy, pricing of treatments, and the distribution of opioid settlement funds. The goal is to increase the impact of these groups in 2023 and beyond by training and mentoring them in tools and methods that more effectively engage target audiences through creativity and innovation.

Learn more and apply to participate below.

Applications open through March 15!

All are welcome to apply, special consideration for groups working on overdose prevention and to make sure opioid settlement money is distributed justly.

Through an online, three-part workshop, the Center for Artistic Activism will teach participants how to advance their advocacy with creativity and innovation. We’re excited to see what you do with it.

These interactive workshops will help participants develop and refine their own goals and objectives, and together we’ll come up with new strategies, audiences, and creative tactics. We’ll also cover how to develop ideas, choose, and test a prototype. Digital tools and resources to be used in future campaigns will be shared throughout the workshops.

During the the course of the workshops, you’ll develop a proposal that can be a great start to submit for funding for our next phase (see below).

Online workshops will take place

• Wednesday, March 22 from 1-4pm ET
• Wednesday, April 5 from 1-4pm ET
• Wednesday, April 12 from 1-4 pm ET

Hear from past workshop participants

“C4AA has such fantastic strategic planning tools.”

“Opening your mind to creative ways to activate people’s heads, hearts, and hands to make positive change in the world.”

“Offers a much needed process and discipline of sorts that makes it possible for artistic activism to thrive and succeed.”

In-Person Convening

In addition to the online course, The Center for Artistic Activism will facilitate a special in-person workshop. We will take the artistic activism methods from the online workshop and help participants develop them even further. Participants will leave with an action plan for their own campaigns in the months ahead. The strategies and tactics we help participants move towards will support harm reduction and evidence-based care. The in-person workshop will take place mid-May in New York. More details to come.

Action Funds and Mentoring

Upon completing the online training and in-person convening, participants will have the opportunity to submit proposals. These proposals will be for creative actions aimed to win opioid settlement funds for harm reduction and evidence based care. Up to six proposals will be selected. Those selected will receive mentorship and funding to support the development and execution of their creative campaigns.

Note: We will provide brief feedback on all proposals so that even those groups not awarded funding receive some mentoring and insights to be used in campaign development and action planning.