The State Justice Institute is accepting applications for its Technical Assistance Grants Program to provide state and local courts with funding to obtain expert assistance to diagnose a problem, develop a response to that problem, and initiate implementation of any needed changes.
Donor Name: State Justice Institute
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of the Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/01/2022
Size of the Grant: $75,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
SJI was established by the State Justice Institute Authorization Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10701 et seq.) to improve the administration of justice in the state courts of the United States.
Incorporated in the State of Virginia as a private, nonprofit corporation, SJI is charged, by statute, with the responsibility to:
- Direct a national program of financial assistance designed to assure that each citizen of the United States is provided ready access to a fair and effective system of justice
- Foster coordination and cooperation with the federal judiciary
- Promote recognition of the importance of the separation of powers doctrine to an independent judiciary
- Encourage education for judges and support personnel of state court systems through national and state organizations
Applicants for TA Grants are required to contribute a total match (cash and in-kind) of not less than 50 percent of the SJI award amount, of which 20 percent must be cash. For example, an applicant seeking a $50,000 TA grant must provide a $25,000 match, of which up to $20,000 can be in-kind and not less than $5,000 must be cash. Funding from other federal departments and agencies may not be used for cash match.
Funding Information
- TA Grants may not exceed $75,000 and 12 months in duration.
Eligibility Criteria
SJI is authorized by Congress to award grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to the following entities and types of organizations:
- State and local courts and their agencies (42 U.S.C. 10705(b)(1)(A)).
- National nonprofit organizations controlled by, operating in conjunction with, and serving the judicial branches of state governments (42 U.S.C. 10705(b)(1)(B)).
- National nonprofit organizations for the education and training of judges and support personnel of the judicial branch of state governments (42 U.S.C. 10705(b)(1)(C)). An applicant is considered a national education and training applicant under section 10705(b)(1)(C) if:
- The principal purpose or activity of the applicant is to provide education and training to state and local judges and court personnel; and
- The applicant demonstrates a record of substantial experience in the field of judicial education and training.
- Other eligible grant recipients (42 U.S.C. 10705 (b)(2)(A)–(D)).
- Provided that the objectives of the project can be served better, the Institute is also authorized to make awards to:
- Nonprofit organizations with expertise in judicial administration
- Institutions of higher education
- Individuals, partnerships, firms, corporations (for-profit organizations must waive their fees)
- Private agencies with expertise in judicial administration
- SJI may also make awards to state or local agencies and institutions other than courts for services that cannot be adequately provided through nongovernmental arrangements (42 U.S.C. 10705(b)(3)).
- Provided that the objectives of the project can be served better, the Institute is also authorized to make awards to:
SJI is prohibited from awarding grants to federal, tribal, and international courts.
Selection Criteria
In addition to the criteria detailed below, SJI will consider whether the applicant is a state or local court, a national court support or education organization, a non-court unit of government, or other type of entity eligible to receive grants under SJI’s enabling legislation; the availability of financial assistance from other sources for the project; the diversity of subject matter, geographic diversity; the level and nature of the match that would be provided; reasonableness of the proposed budget; the extent to which the proposed project would also benefit the federal courts or help state or local courts enforce federal constitutional and legislative requirements; and the level of appropriations available to SJI in the current year and the amount expected to be available in succeeding fiscal years, when determining which projects to support.
TA Grant applications will be rated based on the following criteria:
- Whether the assistance would address a critical need of the applicant
- Soundness of the technical assistance approach to the problem
- Qualifications of the consultant(s) to be hired or the specific criteria that will be used to select the consultant(s)
- Commitment of the court or association to act on the consultant’s recommendations
- Reasonableness of the proposed budget
For more information, visit State Justice Institute.