Reentry Navigator Funding Application

Summary
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is soliciting applications from organizations to provide reentry navigator services to people transitioning from incarceration back into the community to reduce the risk of overdose. Overdose is the leading cause of death among people recently released from prison. Research shows that when transitioning from incarceration to the community, the risk of a fatal drug overdose in the two weeks after release is 129 times more than among the general population (Enich et al., 2023). Reentry navigators will work with individuals being released from the criminal legal system to reduce the risk of overdose by connecting them to overdose prevention services, treatment/recovery services, and other community resources to help with housing, employment, food stability, and other social services. Reentry navigators will also work with people who use drugs (PWUD) in jails to connect them with treatment and recovery services while they are incarcerated.

Eligible organizations include city or county jails, syringe service providers, community-based organizations, non-profit organizations, municipal, county, or Tribal agencies (including but not limited to health and human services (HHS), and social services), and health systems/clinics. Applications in response to this request for applications (RFA) must be submitted online using this application survey. Applicants must conduct their work in the state of Wisconsin and must be comfortable with navigators participating in overdose prevention services in public safety settings and/or working with justice-involved people. The deadline to apply for this funding opportunity is 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2026. Questions related to this RFA must be submitted in writing to BHS Funding opportunities and may be submitted through March 24, 2026. This funding announcement, a courtesy copy of the application, and question/answer document can be found on the DHS website. 

Do not include personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI) in your responses.

Background 
Overdose is a leading cause of death among people who are released from prison. In addition, over half of those incarcerated in state prisons have been diagnosed as having a substance use disorder (Enich et.al., 2023). When these individuals are released, they are at a high risk of overdose and additional adverse outcomes (Enich et al., 2023). Evidence-based interventions, including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), peer recovery support, overdose prevention services, and coordinated reentry planning, can reduce morbidity and mortality for individuals being released from jails. To prevent overdose deaths and improve health outcomes, it is imperative to support people being released from jails and PWUD during their incarceration. Reentry navigators can help meet these needs by connecting people to wraparound services, increase access to overdose prevention services, facilitate access to treatment, and improve access to recovery support services within jails and after release.

Funding opportunity
This funding opportunity is seeking applications from organizations to establish and/or expand the use of reentry navigators. Reentry navigators will coordinate linkages to community-based treatment and recovery services upon release, including but not limited to, screening and assessment for substance use disorder (SUD); education on overdose prevention; initiation or continuation of MOUD; care coordination and referral; and linkages to social service support. In addition, reentry navigators will connect PWUD in jails and those who are at risk of overdose to in-reach services inside jails. This funding opportunity anticipates distributing three awards.

A reentry navigator works with individuals transitioning from incarceration back into the community. Importantly, they aide people being released from jail with accessing social supports, overdose prevention services, and assisting with accessing treatment and supporting retention in SUD care. For the purposes of this program, reentry navigators are required to link those recently released from jail or PWUD in the jail to either evidence-based treatment for SUDs (including MOUD, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or contingency management), or overdose prevention services such as naloxone, wound care, drug checking supplies, or other activities that help lessen the harms associated with drug use and related behaviors. Reentry navigators are expected to build referral pathways involving multiple agencies including but not limited to healthcare providers, corrections, parole, public health, social services, and other community-based organizations. A reentry navigator can include certified peer recovery specialists, peer support specialists, case managers, patient navigators, community health workers, persons with lived experience (PWLE), and other individuals who link PWUD to care and overdose prevention resources.

This opportunity is funded through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Overdose Data to Action for States (OD2A-S) program. 

Intended program outcomes

Short-term outcomes

• Increased use of navigators to link people involved in the criminal legal system to care and services
• Increased access to overdose prevention education and services, including increased distribution of naloxone
• Increased availability of and decreased barriers to care/services especially for those disproportionately affected by overdose and those previously underserved by overdose prevention programs and the healthcare system
• Increased awareness of the drug overdose epidemic, overdose prevention efforts, and evidence-based approaches 

Intermediate outcomes

• Increased linkages to care post release and engagement of care in jails
• Expanded utilization of evidence-based approaches to prevent and respond to overdoses

Long-term outcomes

• Increased uptake of evidence-based treatment and retention with long-term recovery supports, with a primary focus on opioid and stimulant use disorders
• Decreased fatal and nonfatal overdoses

• Use reentry navigators to connect individuals being released from incarceration to overdose prevention services and link people to care (evidence-based treatment for SUD such as MOUD, CBT, contingency management)
• Ensure PWUD who are involved in the criminal legal system have access to overdose prevention and reversal tools, treatment options, and drug checking supplies 
• Establish referral networks in the community including housing, transportation, and medical care partners 
• Build referral pathways and warm handoffs between key systems and acute care settings. 
• Provide trauma-responsive case management 
• Support people who use drugs to address barriers and connect them to resources
• Develop, implement, and/or utilize a client data collection system 
• Participate in collaborative meetings with other DHS-funded navigators to build relationships, trouble-shoot challenges, brainstorm pivots, and celebrate successes
• Collaborate with awarded applicant from the Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Centers

Reporting requirements
A combination of quantitative and qualitative data will be required annually for federal evaluation purposes including number of navigators overall, number of referrals to services (i.e., MOUD, behavioral health treatment (without MOUD), overdose prevention services), number of the overdose prevention service encounters and location of encounters, and number of naloxone doses distributed within zip codes. In addition, grantees will need to report on their work to expand the reach of overdose prevention services, overall program accomplishments, and other relevant metrics resulting from awarded funds. DHS will work with awarded agencies to collect and report required metrics.  

Expectations
In addition to program and reporting requirements, organizations receiving this award will be expected to work with DHS to:

• Create a specific statement of work with deliverables
• Engage in regular coordination and communication with DHS partners to facilitate collaboration, assess resources, and eliminate repetition amongst navigators across the state
• Document all encounters, referrals, outcomes, and other program indicators
• Identify and provide reporting metrics for project evaluation
• Modify program implementation as necessary

Eligibility
Eligible applicants are city or county jails, syringe service providers, community-based organizations, non-profit organizations, and/or municipal, county, or Tribal agencies (including, but not limited to health and human services, and social services). If the primary applicant is not a city or county jail, they must submit a letter of support/commitment from the city/county jail where the navigator will be providing services with their application. Eligible organizations will practice inclusion and may not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, disability, or national origin in their staffing policies, use of volunteers, or provision of services.

Funding terms and conditions 

• This application is for an initial award period from May 1, 2026 - August 31, 2026. Contracts will be awarded annually with the possibility of two contract renewals based on the availability of funds, and the ability of the grantee to meet all contractual objectives.
• Applicants should plan and budget for the first four months as well as one year of funding. 
• Carryover of funds into a second year may be possible based on the availability of funds and grantee performance. 
• DHS reserves the right to increase or decrease award levels and scope of individual contracts during the contract period, and/or reconfigure the program model at any time during the funding cycle based on the conditions noted above or a lack of adequate performance on the part of the grantee.
• Should additional funding become available, DHS reserves the right to use the results of this competitive application process to fund additional applicants that applied but were not selected.
• DHS will negotiate the terms of the award, including the award amount, with the selected applicant(s) prior to entering into a contract. 
• If contract negotiations cannot be concluded successfully with a recommended applicant, DHS may terminate contract negotiations with that applicant. 
• The contracts resulting from this request for applications will be between DHS and the awarded applicant(s). 
• Grantees using subcontractors will be responsible for ensuring subcontractors abide by all terms and conditions of the grant. 
• There is no match requirement for this grant. 
• The selected applicant must follow all reporting requirements as defined by DHS. Quarterly reporting requirements will include a summary of expenditures, number of overdose prevention supplies distributed, types of referrals provided, and an account of program accomplishments or other relevant metrics resulting from awarded funds.

Funding amount: initial award amount for the four-month start-up period is up to $50,000. Up to $100,000 will be awarded annually for the remaining two project years.

Number of awards: 3-4

Expected grant cycles
Start-up period (FY26): May 1, 2026–August 31, 2026 (initial award) 
Year 1 (FY27): September 1, 2026–August 31, 2027 (contract renewal)
Year 2 (FY28): September 1, 2027–August 31, 2028 (contract renewal)