This week, the West Virginia First Foundation will meet again — this time to start determining who will receive a share of the $19.2 million in Initial Opportunity Grants.

It truly is a heavy responsibility to ensure this money is handed out responsibly — and to worthwhile causes. According to a report by WV News, more than 170 applications came in from across the state. Not only must the foundation determine which projects are worthy of support, they also must distribute the funding evenly: $3.2 million to each of the six regions.

Upper Ohio Valley counties are in Region 1.

“We’ve applied a very fair and equitable approach to make sure that every voice is heard,” said foundation Executive Director Jonathan Board, according to WV News.

Nonprofits that applied in one of four categories — diversion programs and interdiction programs; youth prevention and workforce development; child advocacy centers/pregnant and parenting women neonatal abstinence syndrome programs; and transitional/recovery housing expansion — have gone through a scoring process for each of their proposals.

“We’re very hopeful that we are through Phase 2, the scoring, at that point and we can really start digging meaningfully into these applications with the board,” Board said.

That meaningful digging must take place in time for funds to be distributed by Dec. 31. It’s no easy task when money that came to the state as a result of horrific damage done by the substance abuse epidemic here must go to programs that have demonstrated they are capable of helping us recover.

These must not be programs hoping to sustain themselves indefinitely, nor programs that do not directly impact those affected by opioids. These must be programs determined to be unneeded eventually.

They, and the people holding the purse strings, must be aiming for nothing short of success.

Board said those on the West Virginia First Foundation board will be making some “meaningful decisions” by the end of the month.

They must make those decisions with a determination that the thousands upon thousands of lives lost in West Virginia alone because of the substance abuse epidemic will not have been lost in vain.

They must award funding to organizations capable of defeating this monster, once and for all.