State Court Improvement Program

This program provides funding to state and tribal courts to improve the quality of court processes and legal representation. The program provides courts flexibility to design assessments which identify barriers to timely and effective decision-making

The highest state courts in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are eligible to apply for funding. The term "highest state court" means the judicial tribunal which is the ultimate court of appeals in the state. Tribal courts or tribal governments of federally recognized Tribes may apply for awards. To be eligible, a tribe must be operating an approved title IV-E program in accordance with section 479B of the Act; or plan to operate a title IV-E program and have received a title IV-E plan development award, as authorized by section 476 of the Act; or have a court responsible for proceedings related to foster care or adoption (section 438(c)(3)(A)(iv) of the Act).

Families and children who are served by state and tribal courts in proceedings related to foster care, guardianship and adoption.

All state courts that submit applications as per instructions released by the Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) are eligible to receive Court Improvement Program funds. Tribal Court Improvement Program funds are discretionary and are awarded on a competitive basis to federally recognized tribes.

Awards under the State Court Improvement Program may be used for assessment and improvement activities, broadly defined, of the child welfare functions of a court system to promote continuous quality improvement with respect to: due process; timeliness and quality of court hearings; quality legal representation; engagement of the entire family in court processes; improved case tracking and analysis of child welfare cases; data collection, analysis and sharing; and training of legal and judicial personnel in child welfare cases, including cross-training with child welfare agency staff and contractors.

Formula awards are made quarterly. Discretionary awards to tribes are made annually.

Program instructions for the formula program can be obtained from the Children's Bureau, ACYF and the appropriate Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Offices. Tribal applicants may find and apply to discretionary Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) on https://www.grants.gov.

States that submit an acceptable plan will receive funding. For the discretionary tribal program, the criteria for selecting proposals will be published in the NOFO.

Each application is reviewed against four factors: eligibility, the application deadline, required electronic submission or waiver requested and approved, and the Award Ceiling. If the application does not meet all of these factors, then it is disqualified from the merit review process. After the initial review, applications are reviewed and evaluated by merit review panels using only the criteria described in the Application Review section of the NOFO. Each panel is composed of experts with knowledge and experience in the area under review. Generally, review panels include three reviewers and one chairperson. While merit review scores and their ranking are not binding, ACF does consider them when selecting projects for funding. Scores and rankings are only one element used in the award decision-making process. Other criteria are explained in the Program Description section and in the Application Review section of the NOFO. For example, ACF may reserve the right to consider preferences to fund organizations serving emerging, unserved, or under-served populations, including those populations located in pockets of poverty. In addition, ACF reserves the right to evaluate applications in the larger context of the overall portfolio by considering the geographic distribution of federal funds (e.g., ensuring coverage of states, counties, or service areas) in its pre-award decisions. ACF may elect not to fund applicants with management or financial problems that would indicate an inability to successfully complete the proposed project. In addition, ACF may elect to not allow a prime recipient to subaward if there is any indication that they are unable to properly monitor and manage subrecipients. Applications may be funded in whole or in part. Successful applicants may be funded at an amount lower than requested

Formula Awards: Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines. Discretionary Awards: See the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for deadline information.

Federal approval time will be between 30 and 120 days.

Complete renewal applications will be accepted every five years for the formula State Court Improvement Program with updates submitted annually. The discretionary Tribal Court Improvement Program will be re-competed following completion of a four- or five-year project period for existing projects, and non-competing continuations will be issued based on availability of funds, satisfactory progress, compliance with grant terms and conditions and a determination that continuation funding is in the best interest of the federal government.

There is no appeal process for unsuccessful applicants of the discretionary Tribal Court Improvement Program. For existing tribal program recipients and formula program recipients, appeals for disputes not related to unsuccessful applications may take place in accordance with 45 CFR Part 16, subject to the limitations of the Appendix A.