Substance Use Disorder

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Substance use disorders and addiction are a national crisis in America. The pressing public health issue is also deeply personal. Nearly half the U.S. population has a family member or close friend who has been addicted to drugs, according to the Pew Research Center. Deaths related to drug and alcohol use have risen dramatically in recent years. There are effective treatments as well as opportunities for prevention and harm reduction, but stigma and other challenges have left these solutions under-resourced and underused. Donors who want to address the substance use disorder and addiction epidemic in America have ample opportunities to donate to nonprofits working on prevention, direct services, research, policy advocacy, and innovation. To date, philanthropy in this area has been driven by small, often family-run foundations, often with founders who have a personal connection to the issue. This guide offers advice about how donors can make a difference. It highlights leading philanthropic strategies and offers guidance for donors new to this space to get started with their giving.  

Strategies for Impact

Nonprofits are engaged in a range of efforts to address substance use disorders and addiction. All this work is important and could benefit from greater support. Below, we discuss areas where donors might focus their funding and spotlight organizations in each that represent the kind of nonprofits that donors might consider supporting.    

  • Prioritize harm reduction. Harm reduction emphasizes the health and safety of people who use drugs, prioritizing survival and wellness rather than requiring changes in drug use. The goal is to prevent overdose deaths and minimize health problems associated with substance use. In practical terms, this includes community efforts to provide overdose-reversing medications, fentanyl testing strips, safe syringe programs, and education among people who use drugs and those who care for them. Nonprofits engaged in these life-saving efforts include the National Harm Reduction Coalition, which has advocated for evidence-based harm-reduction strategies for more than 25 years, and the DOPE (Drug Overdose Prevention and Education) Project in San Francisco, the largest single-city naloxone distribution program in the country. 

  • Fund prevention through education, outreach and advocacy.  Outreach, education and advocacy can prevent substance use and reduce stigma, and there are numerous nonprofits working in this space. Partnership to End Addiction runs campaigns to prevent adolescent drug and alcohol use. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has long raised awareness of the health dangers of nicotine.

  • Support advocacy for drug policy reform and decriminalization. Substance use disorders are a public health problem. Criminalization has not helped and arguably has worsened the situation. Nonprofit advocacy in this area focuses on drug policy reform such as legalizing marijuana, reforming racially biased drug laws, lifting federal bans on funding syringe service programs, establishing supervised consumption sites and decriminalizing personal possession of drugs. The Drug Policy Alliance is an example of a nonprofit working to address punitive drug laws.

  • Remember research. While there are proven therapies, more research is needed in a range of areas relating to substance use disorders and addiction. Shatterproof, a national nonprofit, is designing a first-of-its-kind national standard of care to ensure people have access to quality addiction treatment programs. Meanwhile, RIZE Massachusetts is a public-private partnership dedicated to funding solutions to end the opioid crisis.

  • Donate to service providers. Direct services to address substance use disorders and addiction include rehabilitation centers, recovery resources and peer support groups such as Young People in Recovery. The Herren Project provides treatment placement options, along with recovery resources and prevention education. Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research is a well-regarded recovery program that emphasizes science-based solutions to substance use disorders.

Insights and Advice 

In considering which impact strategies to support, donors should take into account their personal interests and outlook to find the best fit. They should also keep an eye out for emerging opportunities to give with maximum impact to nonprofits addressing substance use disorders and addiction. Here, we offer a few insights and suggestions:

  • Don’t go it alone. Intermediaries and philanthropy-serving organizations can do a huge amount of the leg work of identifying opportunities in the field, and getting involved with one of these groups is a great way for donors to save time and give more effectively. The Substance Use Funders Collaborative was formed in response to the opioid crisis and focuses on investing in an equitable, community-based, nonpunitive system of care. Grantmakers in Health addresses substance use through its behavioral health section. Mindful Philanthropy brings together funders focused on addiction, mental health and wellbeing.

  • Challenge stigma and support public health solutions. Substance use disorder is a public health problem, not a moral failing. Donors can help the sector move away from criminalization and a punitive approach to addiction by supporting efforts that focus on prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery through a public health lens. 

  • Consider the big picture. It’s important to appreciate that substance use disorders are often closely connected to other concerns like mental illness, child welfare, homelessness, incarceration and adverse childhood experiences. These impact individual, community and national wellbeing. Frequently, a person with substance use disorder presents with a dual diagnosis (often addiction and mental health issues) and polysubstance use. Any organizational efforts to address substance use disorder and addiction must also address the complex interplay of the criminal justice system, racism, poverty, unequal access to education and healthcare, and more. 

  • Accentuate the positive. Donors may find it heartening to learn that despite the obstacles, there are bright spots in this sector. A more accepting and open outlook on substance use disorders and addiction is developing, with widespread education, outreach and storytelling from people with lived experience in recovery. Nonprofits have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to shape and implement evidence-informed, humanistic, public-health-focused care and services, and philanthropic support can go a long way to helping them succeed.

For Donors Getting Started

Donors who are new to this space should take the time to learn about the landscape. A good place to start is by reading IP’s State of American Philanthropy brief on Giving for Substance Use Disorders and Addiction. In addition, peruse recent articles that IP has published about what’s happening in this area of philanthropy. Some of the organizations mentioned above, such as the Substance Use Funders Collaborative, also offer reports and articles to help donors understand the giving terrain. Another helpful resource is the Center for High Impact Philanthropy’s toolkit Health in Mind: A Philanthropic Guide for Mental Health and Addiction. 

To find more local nonprofits working in this field that are well respected, Charity Navigator is a reputable place to search for worthy organizations around the country.

 But the best way to get started giving for substance use disorders and addiction is to make some initial gifts, learn from the groups you’re supporting and connect early with a funding intermediary that can help you learn more about this giving area and increase your giving in a thoughtful way.

Have suggestions for improving this brief? Please email us at editor@insidephilanthropy.com.