What RIZE Massachusetts does

RIZE Massachusetts Foundation is a Boston-based nonprofit public charity founded in 2017 that operates as the state's only public-private partnership solely dedicated to ending the opioid overdose crisis. The organization functions as a strategic grantmaker and program operator, having awarded over $30 million to more than 275 community-based organizations, healthcare providers, municipalities, and academic institutions since inception. RIZE's revenue model combines private philanthropic contributions from founding investors (GE Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Partners HealthCare) with government funding administered through its Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership, which channels Massachusetts opioid settlement funds to community-based initiatives. The organization does not sell products or services and is unable to accept unsolicited proposals, distributing capital instead through direct solicitation, discussion-based engagement, and competitive RFP/I processes.

The organization's core programmatic surface spans three impact areas—Investing in Community, Generating Knowledge, and Building Inclusive Networks—and includes the Enabling Health harm reduction grant program (launched 2018), the HaRT Scholars workforce training program with four Massachusetts universities (launched 2021, first of its kind nationally), the Together We RIZE grants, the Innovations in Anti-Racism program, Frontline Funds, and the Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership portfolio (CORE program at $3.75M over three years, Municipal Matching Grants at $1.25M, and Family Resilience program at $7.5M over three years). RIZE also serves as fiscal partner for the Massachusetts Harm Reduction Workforce Coalition. Operations are governed by a lean staff of approximately 12 employees based at 101 Huntington Avenue in Boston.

RIZE differentiates through a health-equity-first approach that integrates harm reduction with access to clinical treatment, prioritizing lived-experience voice in decision-making, and addressing root causes including racism and systemic barriers to care. Strategic partnerships span the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (funder of Mosaic), academic institutions (Brandeis, Boston College, Northeastern, Bridgewater State, Simmons, Westfield State), major health systems (Mass General Brigham, Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center), and law enforcement allies (PAARI). Leadership comprises President & CEO Julie Burns, Board Chair Joy Rosen, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sarah E. Wakeman, and Senior Program Officer Liz Whynott.

Name

RIZE Massachusetts

Legal name

RIZE Massachusetts Foundation

Website

https://rizema.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RIZE Massachusetts is a Boston-based nonprofit foundation founded in 2017 that strategically grants funds and collaborates with healthcare providers, municipalities, and community organizations to end the opioid overdose crisis. It has deployed over $30 million to 275+ partners via programs including Mosaic, Enabling Health, and HaRT Scholars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking and Nonprofit Foundation Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAI), Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE), Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Overdose crisis funding
• Harm reduction services
• Opioid recovery programs
• Nonprofit foundation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Contributions: RIZE Massachusetts operates as a public charity funded primarily through private-sector contributions. Initial startup funding in 2017 came from multiyear commitments from GE Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Partners HealthCare.
2. Government Grants (ORRF): RIZE administers opioid settlement funds from the Massachusetts Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (ORRF), which resulted from legal efforts to hold private companies accountable for the opioid crisis. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services funds Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership, powered by RIZE.
3. Fiscal Partnership Services: As fiscal partner for the Massachusetts Harm Reduction Workforce Coalition (MAHRWC), RIZE provides financial and administrative support while respecting the group's autonomy and self-determination.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RIZE Massachusetts is a nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and collaborating on solutions to end the overdose crisis. It distributes grants, technical assistance, and partnership support to community-based organizations, municipalities, and healthcare providers across Massachusetts through programs such as the Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership, Enabling Health, HaRT Scholars, Together We RIZE, Municipal Matching Grants, CORE, and Innovations in Anti-Racism. The foundation does not sell products or services; it deploys philanthropic and settlement-derived capital to address harm reduction, treatment access, recovery, racial equity, and behavioral health workforce development.

Product overview

RIZE Massachusetts is a nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and collaborating on solutions to end the overdose crisis. Rather than a unified technology product, the organization operates a portfolio of grant programs and initiatives including the Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership, Enabling Health grants, HaRT Scholars training program, Together We RIZE grants, Municipal Matching Grants, and the Municipal Training and Technical Assistance Program. These programs collectively aim to prevent overdoses, increase access to treatment, support harm reduction services, and address racial equity in addiction care across Massachusetts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership: A grant program powered by RIZE Massachusetts Foundation, funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, to support initiatives addressing the opioid overdose crisis in historically underserved communities.

Products and services

• Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership A public-private collaboration powered by RIZE Massachusetts and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Bureau of Substance Addiction Services through the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (ORRF). It distributes opioid settlement funds to municipalities and community-based organizations through matching grants, CORE grants, and family resilience programs to address the opioid overdose crisis in historically underserved communities.
• Enabling Health: Enhancing Harm Reduction Services in Massachusetts Grant program focused on innovative and collaborative harm reduction efforts, funding pilot programs and enhancing existing harm reduction services with linkages to treatment programs for Massachusetts community-based organizations and healthcare providers.
• HaRT Scholars Program (Harm Reduction Training) A specialized internship program for Master of Social Work students at Boston College, Bridgewater State University, Simmons University, and Westfield State University, providing training in harm reduction approaches to the opioid crisis. Described as the first program of its kind in the country for harm reduction training of social workers.
• Together We RIZE Grant Program A grant program created to mark RIZE's fifth anniversary, supporting initiatives that bolster the behavioral health workforce, build harm reduction services, and boost access and equity. Each recipient received one-year grants ranging from $98,000 to $100,000.
• Municipal Matching Grant Program (Mosaic) A program providing $1.25 million in matching grants to municipalities across Massachusetts to enable cities and towns to use best practices to end the overdose crisis, conduct community outreach, and collaborate effectively.
• Community-based Opioid Response Efforts (CORE) A grant program providing $3.75 million over three years to 18 community-based organizations to support community-led opioid response efforts across Massachusetts.
• Innovations in Anti-Racism to Address the Opioid Overdose Crisis A $600,000 grant scheme designed to reduce racism in the healthcare system and improve access to addiction treatment for African American, Latino, and Indian populations affected by the opioid overdose crisis.
• Municipal Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program A hub-and-spoke model program with regional coordinators across the Commonwealth to help municipalities effectively utilize opioid abatement funds and develop community-rooted opioid response strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 41,000 people served by Enabling Health grantees with over 107,000 contacts and 2.2 million harm reduction materials distributed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Massachusetts Harm Reduction Workforce Coalition (MAHRWC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024MAHRWC is a statewide organization designed to strengthen, connect, and sustain the harm reduction workforce across Massachusetts. RIZE serves as MAHRWC's fiscal partner, providing financial and administrative support while respecting the coalition's autonomy and self-determination.
• The Kraft Center for Community Health at Mass General BrighamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-hosted Community Care in Reach 2024 virtual conference on mobilizing addiction services. RIZE and Kraft Center collaborate on mobile addiction programs and workforce initiatives.
• Boston Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership on harm reduction in shelter settings study. Boston Medical Center researchers led by Dr. Avik Chatterjee conducted research on current practices and future opportunities, with findings released via RIZE-hosted webinar.
• Boston College School of Social WorksecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner university for HaRT Scholars program - specialized internships for Master of Social Work students in harm reduction approaches to the opioid crisis.
• Bridgewater State UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner university for HaRT Scholars program - specialized internships for Master of Social Work students in harm reduction approaches.
• Simmons UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner university for HaRT Scholars program - specialized internships for Master of Social Work students in harm reduction approaches to the opioid crisis.
• Westfield State UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner university for HaRT Scholars program - specialized internships for Master of Social Work students in harm reduction approaches to the opioid crisis.
• Northeastern UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Provides evaluation support for the HaRT Scholars program. Conducts ongoing assessment of program effectiveness and outcomes.
• Rhode Island Hospital (Dr. Traci Green)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Dr. Traci Green and team from Rhode Island Hospital's Center of Biomedical Research Excellence on Opioids and Overdose evaluated the Enabling Health program grantees, assessing individual and cohort outcomes.
• Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018PAARI is a nonprofit community policing movement creating non-arrest pathways to drug treatment. RIZE has supported related initiatives and collaborates on addressing the opioid epidemic through law enforcement partnerships.
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSAS provides funding for Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership, which is powered by RIZE Massachusetts. The funding comes from the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (ORRF), resulting from legal efforts to hold private companies accountable for the opioid overdose crisis.
• Brandeis University (Massachusetts Health Policy Forum)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on reports addressing opioid crisis in Western Massachusetts and workforce impact studies. The Institute for Behavioral Health at Brandeis conducted research and policy analysis.
• Massachusetts Health Policy Forum at Brandeis UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on reports addressing opioid crisis in Western Massachusetts and workforce impact. The forum conducted research on unique challenges facing small and rural communities.
• Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrantee and collaborative partner. The Grayken Center provides national hub for substance use disorder resources, treatment, education, policy, and advocacy. Collaborates on initiatives including overdose prevention hotline and workforce programs.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Global grantmaking foundation that funds harm reduction, drug policy reform, and substance use health initiatives. Comparable grantmaking priorities in harm reduction and drug policy advocacy, though at much greater scale.
• Bloomberg Philanthropies: Major global philanthropic organization with substantial public health investment including the opioid response and harm reduction. Comparable funder of large-scale public health initiatives with significant capital deployment capacity.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The largest U.S. philanthropy devoted to health, with broad programmatic scope including substance use, health equity, and systems change. Comparable in grantmaking model and health equity priorities but operates nationally rather than within a single state.
• Kaiser Permanente Community Health: Major integrated health system's community health grantmaking arm, including substance use disorder investments and health equity work. Comparable as a healthcare-affiliated philanthropy supporting harm reduction and access to treatment.

Direct peers

• National Harm Reduction Coalition: National organization dedicated to harm reduction policy, capacity-building, and direct services for people who use drugs. Closely comparable mission overlap with RIZE's harm reduction grantmaking, lived-experience leadership model, and substance use focus.
• AIDS United: National nonprofit that mobilizes grantmaking and advocacy to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. — directly comparable to RIZE as a disease/crisis-specific public health grantmaking foundation supporting harm reduction, treatment access, and equity for a defined affected population.
• New York Health Foundation: State-level health philanthropy improving New York's health care system through grantmaking, policy analysis, and capacity-building. Directly comparable model of state-scoped health-focused grantmaking with similar programmatic structure.
• Health Resources in Action: Boston-based nonprofit that manages public health grantmaking and capacity-building programs for foundations and government agencies. Comparable as a mission-aligned public health grantmaking intermediary operating in the same Massachusetts ecosystem.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation: Massachusetts-focused health philanthropy affiliated with RIZE's founding funder. Comparable as a state-level health-focused grantmaking foundation operating in the same geography with overlapping healthcare equity priorities.
• California Health Care Foundation: Independent state-level philanthropy focused on California's health care system. Highly comparable as a state-scoped health grantmaking foundation pursuing systems change through targeted investments and policy research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rizema

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RIZE Massachusetts