Client
Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission (POSDC) – Behavioral Health Consortium
Focus Area
- Health
Phases
- Discover
- Design
- Implement
Key Products and Services
- Landscape analysis
- Best practices report
- Literature review
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Program design
- Communications materials
- Meeting facilitation
- Project management
- Grantmaking Manual and Toolkit
The Challenge
Delaware, like much of the country, has been deeply impacted by the opioid crisis. A wave of opioid settlement funds provided the state an unprecedented opportunity to invest in long-term prevention, treatment, and recovery solutions. Delaware is expected to receive over $250 million from the settlements, and the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission (POSDC) needed to design a grantmaking system that was transparent, equitable, and built to make a real impact.
In order to move from crisis response to long-term change, the POSDC needed a clear, equitable, and evidence-based framework for investment. That’s why Social Contract designed a plan to evolve with community needs, build public trust, and drive measurable impact over time.
Our Approach
Delaware’s Behavioral Health Consortium (BHC) tapped Social Contract to assess POSDC’s grantmaking operations, identify gaps, and co-design a strategy for smarter, more community-centered funding. Rather than offer a surface-level fix, our team worked collaboratively to understand what’s working, where systems break down, and how to build a better, more transparent way forward. Throughout the project, we prioritized evidence-driven recommendations and promising practices to reflect BHC’s commitment to investing opioid settlement funds in solutions that are both effective and equitable.
Social Contract conducted a comprehensive landscape analysis and best practices research project for the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission (POSDC) to understand Delaware’s opioid services, treatment access, and how settlement money was being used and distributed. This research helped identify available resources, gaps in services, and disparities in resource distribution across communities and the state, providing clear information for making data-driven decisions. By mapping out the current treatment and prevention efforts, Social Contract was able to pinpoint where help was most needed and where new opportunities existed. POSDC could now focus investments on programs that would have the biggest impact and create a grant system that matched funding with community needs. The findings from this research informed our design of structured resource allocation processes, eligibility criteria, and evaluation measures so opioid settlement funds will be distributed effectively and sustainably for long-term benefit.
The Impact
Backed by national research, community input, and best practices in equitable grantmaking, Social Contract produced a detailed strategy and action plan to ensure that Delaware’s opioid settlement dollars can work harder for years to come.
Social Contract also enabled POSDC to use data to inform their decision-making, determine funding needs, improve transparency, and make the most effective use of opioid settlement funds.
With a combination of policy understanding, facilitation expertise, and cross-sector insight to this project, Social Contract built the infrastructure for long-term transformation.
What made this work different? Social Contract brought:
- A systems-level strategy—focused not only on what to fund, but how to fund it better.
- Deep cross-sector expertise—bridging policy, public health, and community needs.
- A stakeholder-first mindset—centering the lived experiences of those most impacted by the crisis.