The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation awarded $75,000 to the new statewide substance use recovery advocacy organization, Recovery Empowerment through Policy, Advocacy, Transformation and Hope (RE-PATH), greatly boosting its foundational efforts.
“This is the second competitive grant we have secured in recent weeks,” says Jay Phillips, executive director and board president of Seed Sower, Inc. and co-chair of the board of RE-PATH. “It is hard to put into words how grateful we are to have these funds and to advance substance use recovery best practices and workable solutions to meet real needs of our citizens.”
Rachel Thaxton of Kanawha County, who co-chairs RE-PATH with Phillips, says the Benedum Foundation funds will be used for professional staff, expert consultants, training and education materials, office space and supplies and travel.
“It is a major achievement to secure grant dollars from the Benedum Foundation, one of the most trusted sources of funding for non-profits,” Thaxton says. “Leaders of the Benedum Foundation are true partners with the organizations they fund, and we are privileged to have their support.”
Kim Tieman, vice president and program director at the Benedum Foundation, says RE-PATH is filling critical gaps with trained partners and volunteers in many rural areas of West Virginia where local officials are not able to provide and sustain substance use recovery strategies and tactics.
“One of our foundation’s hallmarks is to level the playing field for areas of unmet need in our region,” she says.
RE-PATH was launched in early February 2026. More on its mission can be found on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Re-Path-WV/61587318363116/
The Benedum Foundation, based in Pittsburgh, PA, focuses on grantmaking initiatives that encourage human development in West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania.
