The grants to support families in the justice system program (referred to as the justice for families program) was authorized in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to improve the…

The Office on Violence Against Women awarded Pro Bono Project Silicon Valley $600,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Justice Systems Response to Families program (CFDA 16.021) to provide legal advocacy and court-based services to domestic violence survivors in Santa Clara County, California through September 30, 2028.

Pro Bono Project Silicon Valley, in partnership with Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence and the Santa Clara County Superior Court, will deploy at least two attorneys and three domestic violence advocates at each of two court locations—the Criminal Family Violence Department and the Family Justice Courthouse—to assist victims on the domestic violence calendar. The project will provide legal advocacy to approximately 1,500 domestic violence survivors, direct legal consultation or representation to approximately 300 survivors, conduct outreach to local libraries and community centers to reach 150 survivors in rural communities, and deliver translation and interpretation services for advocacy and legal services clients. This is a continuation award; the prior project grant (15JOVW-21-GG-00219-JFFX) ran from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2024 with a funding amount of $550,000. Work is performed in San Jose, California. The award is structured as a Project Grant, an assistance type that provides time-limited funding for specific projects or initiatives.

The grants to support families in the justice system program (referred to as the justice for families program) was authorized in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse. The program supports the following activities for improving the capacity of courts and communities to respond to families affected by the targeted crimes: court-based and court-related programs; supervised visitation and safe exchange by and between parents; training for people who work with families in the court system; civil legal services; and the provision of resources in juvenile court matters. Projects supported by the justice for families program are those that focus on keeping victims and their children safe from further abuse and holding offenders accountable. Through this continuation justice for families project, pro bono project silicon valley (PBP), in partnership with next door solutions to domestic violence (NDS), and the santa clara county superior court, hall of justice (HOJ), criminal family violence (criminal court), department and family justice courthouse, family court (family court) will, provide at least two attorneys and three domestic violence advocates at each court to provide assistance to victims with cases on the domestic violence calendar; legal advocacy to approximately 1,500 domestic violence survivors; legal consultation or representation to approximately 300 survivors; outreach to local libraries and community centers to reach 150 survivors in rural communities; and translation and interpretation services for advocacy or legal services clients in santa clara county, CA. This is a continuation of 15JOVW-21-GG-00219-jffx.