End Overdose Partners With National Independent Venue Association (NIVA)
The Program Will Provide Much Needed Training, Resources, and Life-Saving Treatments for Independent Venues to Help Prevent Overdose and Save Lives
LOS ANGELES (November 12, 2025) – National 501(c)(3) nonprofit End Overdose is proud to announce its partnership with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). Through this partnership, End Overdose will provide its opioid overdose response training to NIVA members, which includes independent stages across the country, on a quarterly basis. Alongside the training, End Overdose will provide NIVA members with free naloxone (the life-saving overdose-reversal medication) and fentanyl test strips (a preventive tool that alerts users if their substance is laced with the often-fatal opioid).
“We’re excited to enter into a partnership with NIVA and provide its members with our overdose response training and resources,” says End Overdose founder and CEO Theo Krzywicki. “End Overdose has created a national certification program to equip venues and individuals with the skills to save lives. It’s available online and in person, streamlining states’ education from boots on the ground training, sourcing, to distribution. We’re proud to be funded and supported by the community that shares our mission. The independent venue ecosystem is vital to the health of live entertainment across the country, making this partnership a perfect fit to ensure lifesaving tools are available where they’re needed most.”
“Live shows are built on connection, and connection means looking out for one another. Through this new partnership, End Overdose is making it possible for all NIVA venues and festivals to have free naloxone on site and for staff to receive real, hands-on overdose response training,” says NIVA Executive Director Stephen Parker. “Their generosity and commitment to our live community will save lives. We’re proud to stand with End Overdose in keeping fans, artists, and neighbors safe.”
NIVA members are independent venues, promoters, and festivals, including music clubs, performing arts centers, comedy clubs, university presenters, amphitheaters, and dinner theaters. With NIVA’s support, End Overdose will train venue staff who reach tens of millions of annual attendees, collectively.
End Overdose and NIVA’s partnership officially launches this week with its first training conducted by the End Overdose team.
ABOUT NIVA
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is the national trade association representing thousands of independent live entertainment venues, festivals, promoters, and more. NIVA works to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of live entertainment. NIVA empowers members and their teams with member benefits, advocacy on the state, local, and federal levels, an annual industry-leading conference, and more.
NIVA led the Save Our Stages campaign, culminating in landmark legislation in 2020 that established the $16.25 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, the largest arts investment in U.S. history.
NIVA is committed to equity in its support of independent stages. It seeks to create and encourage opportunities for venues, promoters, and festivals owned, operated, and staffed by people of color, women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, veterans, and people with disabilities.
ABOUT END OVERDOSE
End Overdose is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to ending drug-related overdose deaths through education, medical intervention, and public awareness. End Overdose focuses on equipping communities with training, naloxone, and test strips to prevent and respond to an overdose crisis.
The nonprofit has trained over 587,000 residents, distributed over 584,000 doses of naloxone, and distributed over 583,000 test strips to date. Through key partnerships, the nonprofit has a presence at most major festivals nationwide and has collaborated with key figures in entertainment like Illenium, Limp Bizkit, The Used, and more.
End Overdose is built around a peer-to-peer model that allows young people to reach other young people and offer lifesaving trainings and resources to the age range most affected by drug-related overdose deaths. End Overdose has 68 chapters, over 1,500 volunteers nationwide, and has 5 training programs, from opioid overdose identification and response, to reducing Opioid Use Disorder stigma.
End Overdose’s focus is clear: No one else has to die.
CONTACT
Lucky Break PR
Kris Ferraro, Kris@luckybreakpr.com
Mike Stommel, Mike@luckybreakpr.com
