Expanded Public Defense Grant (Holistic Defense)

The 2025-2026 Budget Act (SB 102) appropriated $14,250,000 in funding to support the expansion of public defense services in California, with a specific focus on holistic defense. Holistic defense is a client-centered approach that addresses not only the criminal case but also the broader challenges and collateral consequences faced by clients, such as housing, employment, mental health, and other drivers of involvement in the legal system. This approach is multi-disciplinary in nature, relying on teams that may include attorneys, social workers, mental health professionals, housing specialists, and other support staff who can assist clients in addressing root causes and needs outside of the courtroom. The Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) is administering this grant to strengthen holistic defense across the state through direct grants to qualified entities. The purpose of this grant is to establish or expand holistic defense initiatives, provide training for defense attorneys and interdisciplinary staff, and fund evaluation and data collection to measure outcomes. Allowable uses of grant funds include hiring social workers, housing specialists, or mental health professionals to join defense teams; creating or expanding holistic defense programs; training attorneys and staff in implementing holistic defense practices; and funding evaluation efforts to understand the impact of such models on client outcomes and public safety. Grantees are expected to begin work by February 1, 2026, and all grant funds must be expended within a 26-month grant period, ending June 1, 2028. Eligibility for funding is limited to two categories of applicants: Public Defender Offices or Alternate Defender Offices, which are county agencies staffed primarily by government employees, and qualified entities providing indigent defense at the direction of the county, which may include bar associations, panel systems, contracted law firms, or counties directly administering public defense. In all cases where the county itself is not the applicant, a letter of authorization from the county’s Board of Supervisors or County Administrator must be included with the application. Each county may submit only one application, although collaborative multi-county proposals are encouraged. For multi-county projects, a lead grantee must be identified, and letters of authorization from each participating county must be provided. Applicants may self-select into one of three funding categories. Small scope projects may request up to $450,000, large scope projects may request up to $850,000, and multi-county projects are capped at $1.8 million. Applicants are encouraged to request only the amount needed to complete their project within the grant period. Indirect costs are limited to 10 percent of the overall budget. The OSPD also requires that any funding for client incentives or supports, such as gift cards, transportation, or food, be separately approved and carefully tracked. Any changes in use of awarded funds must be pre-approved by OSPD in writing, and supplanting—substituting grant funds for existing federal, state, or local funding—is strictly prohibited. Applications will be evaluated on four key criteria: project need, project description, capacity and sustainability, and budget. Successful applications will clearly identify community need, describe proposed activities and outcomes, demonstrate capacity to manage and sustain the project, and present a realistic and reasonable budget. OSPD encourages applicants to base proposals on evidence-based practices and to engage stakeholders in planning. Applicants may also include costs for structured evaluation in their budgets. Grantees will be required to submit biannual reports and participate in OSPD-facilitated meetings, with data collected to inform a legislative report at the conclusion of the grant program. The timeline for the opportunity is as follows: the Request for Applications (RFA) was published on August 27, 2025. Questions regarding the application process may be submitted in writing between August 28, 2025, and October 16, 2025, with responses posted publicly each week. Applications are due by October 28, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. PST, submitted electronically in PDF format to OSPD.Grant@ospd.ca.gov with the subject line “Expanded Public Defense Grant: [County Name].” Grantees will be selected by December 16, 2025, contracts signed by February 3, 2026, services initiated on March 2, 2026, and services concluded by May 15, 2028. Final grant closeout, including reporting, will be due by August 31, 2028. To ensure fairness, OSPD will answer only written questions, and all responses will be shared publicly. OSPD retains sole decision-making authority in awarding funds and reserves the right to reject applications or solicit additional ones if deemed necessary to meet programmatic or regional needs. This grant provides a significant opportunity for counties and indigent defense providers in California to strengthen holistic defense models and improve outcomes for clients while addressing systemic issues that contribute to involvement in the criminal legal system.  

Review evidence-based literature, consult stakeholders, and use institutional expertise when creating proposals.