Law Justice and Legal Services Grants

This funding opportunity supports Wisconsin law enforcement agencies, nonprofit associations, and technical colleges in providing specialized training to enhance officer skills, public safety, and community collaboration across the state.

The United States Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for its Caribbean United for Women's Economic Empowerment (CUWEE) project. This grant program is fundamentally aligned with the mission of addressing systemic barriers and socio-cultural attitudes that challenge gender equity and equality within the Caribbean economy. The funding is sourced from the FY 2023 Gender Equity and Equality Action (GEEA) Economic Support Funds (ESF), signaling the Department of State's strategic priority on advancing economic security through gender equality initiatives in the region. The project is anticipated to be executed through a cooperative agreement and will be administered by the WHA's Office of Policy Planning and Coordination (PPC). The primary target beneficiaries of the CUWEE project are women and adolescent girls aged 16 and older in the Caribbean. The overarching impact goals are to build their economic resilience and skills capacity. By achieving this, the project aims to enable these beneficiaries to successfully enter the labor force and obtain economic security, thereby contributing to broader regional stability and growth. The initiative's theory of change appears to center on strengthening the ecosystem of local support to create sustainable economic opportunities for women. The strategic priorities and focuses of the project are multi-faceted, with a strong emphasis on empowering local civil society support actors. A central requirement is that proposals demonstrate how the grantee will strengthen local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) engaged in advancing women’s economic security. The project is expected to first focus on identifying problematic country-specific and/or regional systemic barriers and socio-cultural attitudes, and then partner with local CSOs to directly address these identified obstacles. The CUWEE project details two key mechanisms for implementation. First, it intends to support a competition designed to promote local CSOs to develop and implement pioneering solutions tailored to overcome specific local systemic barriers to economic security for women in their respective country or region. Second, the project mandates the provision of a training curriculum that builds the capacity of, and strengthens, the regional Caribbean network of local CSOs dedicated to women’s economic security. WHA intends to issue one award, subject to funding availability, not to exceed $1,973,359, for a project period of up to three years, with a target start date of October 2024. The expected outcomes are the provision of greater economic gender equity and equality across the Caribbean region through the development of local capacity and innovative, localized solutions.

The Art and Change Grant (ACG), provided by the Leeway Foundation, offers up to $2,500 to fund art for social change projects. This grant aligns with the foundation's mission to support artists and cultural producers who are deeply involved in creating art that positively affects and engages communities and audiences, ensuring that social change is integral to their artistic process and goals. The foundation prioritizes art with a vision and intentional analysis, recognizing it as a powerful tool for societal impact. The target beneficiaries for the ACG are women, trans, and/or gender nonconforming artists and cultural producers who reside in Greater Philadelphia, specifically in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia County, and are at least 18 years old. The grant aims to empower these artists to use their creative practices to foster social change. The impact goals include raising consciousness, altering perspectives on self, society, or culture, creating visions of a more just world, and serving as a strategy for organizing and movement building. The grant prioritizes art that addresses various forms of oppression, such as racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, and ableism. It also focuses on art that questions mainstream culture and beliefs, shifts perceptions of power and privilege, and values healing justice practices. Expected outcomes include strengthening communities, preserving or reclaiming traditional cultural practices, building a sense of community, and creating spaces for expression. The grant also emphasizes a reciprocal process of teaching and learning, ensuring mutual benefit for both the artist and the community engaged. The Leeway Foundation's strategic priorities are centered on supporting project-based art for social change across any medium, including traditional, nontraditional, multimedia, and experimental forms. Their theory of change posits that by empowering individual artists to create socially engaged art, they can catalyze significant community-wide impact. The foundation aims for measurable results through projects that demonstrate a clear vision for social change and actively engage communities, fostering a more just and equitable world through artistic and cultural practice.

Agency Name: Bureau of Counterterrorism Description: The Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications for a design-build project for the building of several prefabricated facilities and renovations of others for counterterrorism police assistance in Somalia. Link to Additional Information: Link to Opportunity in MyGrants Grantor Contact Information: If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: [email protected]

The Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF), managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Long Island Sound Study (LISS), seeks to restore the health and living resources of Long Island Sound. This grant program, with approximately $12 million available in 2024, aligns with the foundation's mission by supporting efforts to test innovative conservation approaches, deliver transformative projects, and engage communities that value and protect the Sound. Major funding is provided by EPA through the LISS, with additional support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Zoetis Foundation, demonstrating a collaborative strategic approach to environmental conservation. The LISFF targets a broad range of beneficiaries, including non-profit 501(c) organizations, state government agencies, local and municipal governments, Tribal Governments and Organizations, and educational institutions. The impact goals are centered on improving water quality, enhancing and restoring coastal habitats, and fostering sustainable and resilient communities around the Long Island Sound. The program’s strategic priorities are guided by the Long Island Sound Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan 2020-2024 Update (CCMP), which emphasizes three core themes: Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds, Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife, and Sustainable and Resilient Communities. Cross-cutting principles of resiliency to climate change, long-term sustainability, and environmental justice are also integral to the program's theory of change. Under the "Clean Waters and Healthy Watersheds" theme, the program prioritizes reducing nitrogen pollution, combined sewer overflows, impervious cover, stormwater runoff, and point and nonpoint source loading. This includes funding for "shovel-ready" projects that result in quantifiable pollutant prevention, particularly those addressing water quality at a larger scale. Planning activities, such as community engagement, feasibility studies, site assessments, conceptual design, and final design and permitting, are also supported. Projects in the Upper Basin states (MA, NH, VT) are specifically focused on quantifiable nitrogen/nutrient prevention with a documented benefit to Long Island Sound. The "Thriving Habitats and Abundant Wildlife" theme focuses on enhancing or restoring coastal habitats to maintain resilience and function, supporting fish, bird, and wildlife populations, and sustaining the Sound's ecological balance. This involves implementing "shovel-ready" habitat restoration and nature-based or green-gray hybrid resilience projects, as well as planning activities for such projects. The program also aims to foster diverse, balanced, and abundant populations of fish, birds, and wildlife, encouraging proposals that consider the LISS Habitat Restoration Guidelines. The "Sustainable and Resilient Communities" theme supports vibrant, informed, and engaged communities through projects that offer hands-on conservation experiences. Expected outcomes include quantifiable pollutant reductions, enhanced and restored coastal habitats, increased resilience to climate change, and more engaged communities actively participating in the Sound's protection and sustainability. For water quality projects, measurable results will include quantifiable pollutant prevention, particularly nitrogen/nutrient reductions. For habitat projects, long-term maintenance plans and ecological improvements are expected. The LISFF's strategic framework, rooted in the CCMP, aims to accelerate local and regional water quality improvements, natural resource restoration, coastal resilience, environmental justice, and community outreach, ultimately leading to a healthier, more productive, and resilient Long Island Sound for both people and wildlife.

The Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to build the capacity of Somali Police Force (SPF) CT units, including the Joint Investigative Team (JIT) and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to more fully coordinate on counterterrorism-related police investigations with the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) for the purpose of increased information collection, analysis, and sharing between the units and international partners.

This funding opportunity supports initiatives that promote citizen engagement in government, enhance accountability, and protect individual rights, particularly focusing on empowering communities of color.

The Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) 2025 Improvement Grant Request for Applications (RFA) aims to enhance indigent defense services across Texas. This initiative aligns with a foundational mission to ensure quality legal representation for indigent defendants, a critical component of a fair justice system. By offering competitive grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, TIDC seeks to foster the development of new programs and processes that address the specific needs and challenges within the state's indigent defense landscape. The grants typically require county matching funds, promoting local investment and commitment to these crucial services. The primary beneficiaries of these grants are Texas counties, law school legal clinics, regional public defenders, and nonprofit corporations that provide indigent defense services. The ultimate impact goal is to improve the quality of representation for indigent defendants and to implement cost-containment initiatives for counties. TIDC prioritizes programs that establish managed indigent defense systems, including public defender and managed assigned counsel programs, as well as specialized services for clients with mental health challenges, regional services, and programs serving rural areas. Additionally, programs that measure the quality of representation and implement process management software are given precedence. The grant program features several categories designed to address various needs. Multi-Year Improvement Grants support ongoing indigent defense representation programs, offering funding over four years with a declining reimbursement rate and requiring a cash match. Rural Regional Public Defender Sustainability Grants focus on regional programs in three or more counties with populations under 100,000, providing significant initial and ongoing sustainability funding. Single-Year Improvement Grants target process improvement and technology projects, while Technical Support Grants fund special projects like research, program assessments, and pilot initiatives to build knowledge and test new processes. Expected outcomes include the establishment of new public defender offices and managed assigned counsel systems, the development of specialized defender offices for mental health or juvenile cases, and the deployment of indigent defense coordinators. These outcomes are designed to create more robust, equitable, and efficient indigent defense systems across Texas. The TIDC's strategic priorities and theory of change center on the belief that by investing in diverse, targeted programs, counties can develop sustainable, high-quality indigent defense services that not only meet legal requirements but also significantly improve the lives of indigent defendants and reduce long-term county operating costs.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and government agencies in the Greater Grand Island area to develop programs that prevent trafficking, enhance justice measures, and offer support for victims.

This program provides financial assistance to Texas counties for essential public services, including law enforcement and court operations, to support the prosecution of serious crimes.

This grant provides financial assistance to Texas law enforcement agencies for covering travel expenses related to training peace officers in advanced rapid response techniques.

This program provides funding to Alaska Native Tribes and organizations to develop or improve victim support services that address the needs of crime victims in culturally relevant ways.

This program provides financial assistance to law enforcement agencies for training scholarships and salaries for new recruits attending basic law enforcement academies.

This program provides $3,000,000 to support joint narcotics teams and task forces in Michigan by funding essential training and equipment to improve their effectiveness in combating drug-related activities.

This grant program is designed to respond to incidents of family violence, intimate partner stalking, domestic violence, and dating violence, and to develop and strengthen victim services in Maryland. With a total funding of $3,000,000, it aims to support state and local government agencies, non-profit non-governmental victim services programs, faith-based and community organizations, and the state domestic violence coalition.

This grant is designed to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services within the State of Maryland. It aims to support state and local law enforcement agencies and medical examiner's offices by providing funds to alleviate bottlenecks and improve the overall efficiency of forensic science services, including laboratory analysis and crime scene examination. The grant supports Maryland's law enforcement goals of disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations involved in guns, gangs, drugs, and human trafficking.

This grant aims to supplement police protection resources in local communities through a formula-driven funding program. It supports operational costs of local police agencies, sharing costs between the State and its municipalities based on population factors and previous year's operational costs​​.

Police Accountability, Community, and Transparency Grant support law enforcement agencies across the State of Maryland with the development of effective accountability procedures to achieve their goals of lawfulness and legitimacy while enhancing community relations and transparency. Funds are intended to increase safety and training for law enforcement, and promote safe communities and encourage community engagement between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

The Sexual Assault Services Program provides intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (i.e., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments, etc.), support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault. SASP, created by the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, 42 U.S.C. §14043g, is the first federal funding stream solely dedicated to the provision of direct intervention and related assistance for victims of sexual assault. SASP provides intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (i.e., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments, etc.), support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault. Rape crisis centers play a vital role in assisting sexual assault victims through the healing process, as well as assisting victims through the medical, criminal justice, and other social support systems. In order to provide comprehensive services to victims of sexual assault, SASP assists states in supporting rape crisis centers in the provision of direct intervention and related assistance.

The BJAG Program aims to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on the state's specific needs. Grant funds are used to improve the criminal justice system, enhance law enforcement initiatives, crime prevention, and education, as well as to support corrections, drug treatment, planning, evaluation, technology improvements, and crime victim and witness initiatives. The program is focused on reducing gaps in services, decreasing violent crime, assisting crime victims, and improving enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, detention, and rehabilitation efforts across Maryland.