State Justice Institute (SJI) Quarterly Grant Program
Link
Deadline
Application Deadline: Feb 1, 2025
Sponsor
State Justice Institute (SJI)
Purpose
Provides grant funding to state courts, national organizations, and other eligible organizations to address common issues and improve the quality of justice in state courts. Offers funding through 5 grant opportunities: project grants, technical assistance grants, curriculum adaptation and training grants, strategic initiative grants, and education support program grants. Funding supports technical assistance, demonstrations, special projects, research and training to strengthen operations of state courts and improve outcomes.
Preference is given to proposals that address one or more priority investment areas, which are applicable to all grant types. Priority areas include:
- Opioids, other dangerous drugs, and behavioral health responses that address behavioral health disparities and justice-involved persons with substance use disorders and/or co-occurring mental health disorders and promote trauma-informed approaches
- Promoting access to justice and procedural fairness including court responses to increased numbers of self-represented litigants, support for increased language access, and the integration of research-based procedural fairness principles, policies, and practices
- Reducing disparities and protecting victims among underserved and vulnerable populations with a focus on human trafficking, rural justice, elder issues, and inequities based on socio-economic, racial, ethnic, gender, age, health, or other factors
- Advancing justice reform by advocating best practices, promoting court-based solutions, and implementing alternative forms of sanction in the areas of criminal justice, juvenile justice, family and civil justice
- Transforming courts by enhancing court emergency response and recovery preparedness for natural disasters, pandemics and other public health emergencies; strengthening cybersecurity; promoting innovative technology; and supporting training, education and workforce development for state courts
In addition to the priority investment areas, applicants are encouraged to integrate the following factors in their proposed projects:
- Evidence-based, data-driven decision making
- Cross-sector collaboration
- Systemic approaches, as opposed to standalone programs
- Institutionalization of new court processes and procedures
- Ease of replication
- Sustainability
Amount of Funding
Award amounts for each grant type are as follows.
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Project grants:
- Up to $300,000 for state courts, with a project period of 36 months
- Up to $200,000 for local courts, with a project period of 24 months
- Technical assistance grants: Up to $75,000, with a project period of 12 months
- Curriculum adaptation and training grants: Up to $40,000, with a project period of 12 months
Funding amounts for strategic initiative grants are not specified. Strategic initiative funds support grants or contractual services for state courts. Award amounts are at the discretion of the SJI board of directors and staff.
Funding amounts for education support grants only covers the cost of tuition up to a maximum of $1,000 per award.
Applicants must provide matching funds for a portion of the project. Matching funds must be from non-federal sources. Additional requirements regarding the use of cash and in-kind contributions can be found in the application guide. Matching contributions vary by grant type:
- Project grant match: 100% or more of total project costs
- Technical assistance grant match: No less than 50% of the award amount, of which 20% must be cash
- Curriculum adaptation and training grant match: No less than 50% of the award amount, of which 20% must be cash
State courts, local courts, and non-court units of government must provide a dollar for dollar match for strategic initiative grants. Matching funds may not be required for strategic initiative grants awarded to non-court or non-governmental entities.
Who Can Apply
Eligible applicants include:
- State and local courts and their agencies
- National nonprofit organizations controlled by, operating in conjunction with, and serving the judicial branches of state governments
- National nonprofit organizations for the education
and training of judges and support personnel of the
judicial branch of state governments that also meet the
following criteria:
- Organizations whose principal purpose or activity is to provide education and training to state and local judges and court personnel
- Organizations that can demonstrate a record of substantial experience in the field of judicial education and training
- Nonprofit organizations with expertise in judicial administration
- Institutions of higher education
- Individuals, partnerships, firms, corporations
- Private agencies with expertise in judicial administration
- State or local agencies and institutions other than courts for services that cannot be adequately provided through nongovernmental arrangements
Geographic Coverage
Nationwide
What This Program Funds
Capacity Building • New Program • Operating Costs and Staffing
Application Process
Application instructions, requirements, and other information can be found in the grant application guide.
Completed applications with all forms and attachments must be submitted via SJI Grant Management System.
Applications are accepted year-round. Quarterly deadlines are as follows:
- November 1
- February 1
- May 1
- August 1
Contact
For programmatic or technical
questions:
contact@sji.gov
Topics This Program Addresses
Attorneys and Courts • Emergency Planning • Mental Health • Substance Use Disorder