Texas Law Justice and Legal Services Grants

The City of Athens is currently accepting applications for the 2025 Tourism Development Grant to promote tourism and attract overnight visitors to Athens. Donor Name: The City of Athens State: County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 07/22/2024 Size of the Grant: Not Available Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Projects must be specifically designed to attract overnight visitors to Athens. The Tourism Development Grant is open to eligible organizations or events located within the Athens city limits. The primary use of these funds is intended to promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry in Athens. The City of Athens is under no obligation to allocate any portion of collected HOT revenues unless the City enters into a funding contract. Award of funds does not guarantee future funding. The City Council shall have the final decision regarding the allocation of funds. Types of Grants There is a two-part test that expenditures of local HOT funds must meet in order to be valid:  Part One: Expenditures must DIRECTLY enhance and promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry.  Part Two: Expenditures of HOT funds must clearly fit into one of the following categories for expenditure of HOT revenues, which are defined below:  Advertising: Paying for advertising, solicitations, and promotions that attract tourists and convention delegates to the City or its vicinity.  Promotion of the Arts: Expenditures that promote the arts. The encouragement, promotion, improvement, and application of the arts, including instrumental and vocal music, dance, drama, folk art, creative writing, architecture, design and allied fields of painting, sculpture, photography, graphic and craft arts, motion pictures, radio, television, tape and sound recording, and other arts related to the presentation, performance, execution, and exhibition of these major art forms. (No more than 15% of annual Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax revenues can be spent on the arts.)  Sporting Event Promotion: Funding certain expenses, including promotional expenses directly related to a sporting event within counties with a population of fewer than one million. (To qualify, the sporting event must be one that would “substantially increase economic activity at hotels and motels within the city or its vicinity.”)  Tourist Transportation System: Funding transportation systems for tourists.  Signage: Signage directing tourists to sights and attractions that are visited frequently by hotel guests in and around the City Eligibility Requirements Tourism Promotion: As required by state law, all projects must encourage and promote the use of hotels and motels within Athens by enhancing and promoting tourism, conventions, and the hotel industry. Governance: The applicant must be an organization or corporation governed by a board of directors or similar governance structure. Location: The event must be located within the Athens city limits. Direct Benefit: The applicant must demonstrate that the funds will directly enhance and promote tourism, conventions, and the hotel industry by attracting visitors from outside of Athens. Legal Entity: The applicant must be a legal entity with the capacity to enter into contracts. Public Accessibility: The applicant must demonstrate that the programs or events are open and appropriate for the general public. Financial Standing: The applicant must demonstrate good financial standing and have financial safeguards in place to protect public funds. See the Financial Information section for more details. For more information, visit City of Athens.

This grant provides funding to law enforcement agencies to cover travel costs for peace officers attending Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT). The funding aims to enhance the response capabilities of peace officers to active shooter and attack situations. The program supports overtime, travel expenditures, and training stipends for participating agencies and is open to law enforcement agencies operated by school districts, higher education institutions, local government units, and other educational entities employing peace officers. Training must comply with ALERRT's standards, and funds are allocated based on various eligibility criteria, including compliance with cybersecurity and UCR data reporting, adherence to federal and state immigration enforcement requirements, participation in the DPS Sexual Assault Evidence Tracking System, registration in the SAM database with a UEI number, and reporting of convictions to the DPS. The program prohibits the use of funds for indirect costs unrelated to travel and overtime for ALERRT training.

The Texas Foster Youth Network grant aims to establish a statewide network of various agencies and organizations to provide services that remove employment barriers and support the successful transition into adulthood for Foster Youth, through the sharing of referrals and service information.

This funding opportunity supports local nonprofit organizations in the Concho Valley that provide essential health, education, and financial stability services to address critical community needs.

This grant provides financial support for projects and events that boost community development, tourism, and economic growth in McKinney, Texas.

Local non-profit organizations operating within the City of Victoria may be eligible to apply for grant funding for child safety and/or child abuse intervention/prevention programs or drug and alcohol abuse intervention and prevention programs for children. Donor Name: City of Victoria State: County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 08/16/2024 Size of the Grant: Not Available Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Funding for the program comes from the $1.50 child safety fee that is assessed when residents register their vehicles in Victoria County. This funding must be used for child safety and welfare services as defined by state law. In fiscal year 2024, the City of Victoria used the funds to provide grants for the following programs: A World for Children: “Bridging the Gap” program to help meet the needs of foster children Boys & Girls Club of Victoria: After-school programs for different age groups Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas: Supplies and training materials for CPR/first aid, mental health first aid and youth protection training Golden Crescent CASA: Program staff funding and occupancy expenses Hope of South Texas: Part-time therapist for children and families coping with the effects of abuse Mid-Coast Family Services: After-school programs and other activities for at-risk youth The Gabriel Project of the Golden Crescent: Program staff funding and supplies Categories Child Safety and/or Abuse Intervention/Prevention: Programs designed to enhance child safety and/or intervene and prevent child abuse Drug and/or alcohol abuse and prevention for children: Programs designed to intervene and prevent drug and alcohol abuse with a target audience of children, defined. For more information, visit City of Victoria.

The City of Marfa in Texas offers Arts & Culture Grants, funded by the Hotel Occupancy Tax, to organizations promoting tourism and the hotel/convention industry through arts, historical restoration, and preservation projects, with priority given to those generating overnight visitors and renting local facilities for their events.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Texas Rural Woman Grant. Donor Name: Texas Woman’s University State: Texas County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 07/05/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The purpose is to create greater economic development activity in rural Texas by encouraging and enabling rural woman-owned, small businesses to undertake new and innovative projects. Funding Information A total of ten $5,000 grants for a total of $50,000 are available for this round of funding. What can the funds be used for? Purchase of machinery, equipment, or technology. Farm implements or machinery. Addition or acquisition of new inventory or raw materials. Purchase and installation of fixtures or display units. Property improvements that will result in increased sales and revenue. Marketing or advertising campaigns. Any other business-related activity that CWE deems is aligned with the stated purpose of this program. Who can apply? Eligible businesses must satisfy all of the following conditions: Existing rural, woman-owned businesses (at least 51% directly owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens). The business owner must reside in Texas. The business must currently be set up as a legal business entity. The business must be a for-profit corporation, partnership, LLP or LLC, or sole proprietorship. Not-for-profit corporations or similar nonprofit entities are not eligible. If the business or business owner owns the premises where the business operates, all property taxes must be current. All sales, payroll, and other taxes must be current. The business must be located and operated within an eligible Texas County. The business, business owner and the applicant must not be involved in any pending or current litigation. The business owner must not have any felonies or convictions for a crime of dishonesty or breach of trust. Previous grant winners cannot apply. The business must be in one of the eligible rural counties in Texas. The business, business owner and applicant are operating with all required permits and licenses and are conforming to all required laws. Grant Requirements  The successful applicant will receive two installments of the award: $2,500 after signing the grant agreement, a photo release and all required paperwork for payment. $2,500 following completion of a small business training course hosted by the Center for Women Entrepreneurs, 3 hours of small business advising/mentoring and submission and approval of a completed business plan with three years of financials. Additionally, itemized receipts or proof of purchases made with initial grant funds of $2,500 (costs must have been incurred after receiving grant funding) must be provided to CWE to receive the remaining $2,500. You need to meet with CWE staff to talk over the grant specifics and ask any questions you have. Use the spreadsheet that the CWE provides for documentation. The University will send winners a 1099 for the grant funds received. Ineligible applicants Any business that is not on the rural county list. TWU faculty/staff (or any immediate family member of the applicant’s family, including spouse, child, parent), trustee, and advisory committee member. TWU Students are not eligible to apply. Prior grant winners. Applicants who have taken part in any CWE program in the last year including AccelerateHER, TechFW or NTEEC awardees. For more information, visit TWU.

The City of Marfa is offering Historic Restoration and Preservation Grants, funded by the Hotel Occupancy Tax, to organizations that promote tourism and the hotel industry through projects enhancing historical restoration and preservation, with priority given to those generating overnight visitors and events held at specific local venues.

The City of Lubbock’s Cultural Arts Grant Program, as administered by Civic Lubbock, Inc., provides local cultural organizations with financial support for projects that promote tourism and the arts and humanities in Lubbock. Donor Name: City of Lubbock State: Texas City: Lubbock Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/31/2024 Size of the Grant: Not Available Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: Funding for the Cultural Arts Grant Program comes from Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT). Hotel Occupancy Tax is collected from local hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast inns. The revenues from Hotel Occupancy Tax can only be used for certain expenditures as outlined by law of the State of Texas. Therefore, in order to receive funding from the Cultural Arts Grant Program each project must show that it: Directly promotes tourism and the convention and hotel industry, and Involves the encouragement, promotion, improvement, and application of the arts, including instrumental and vocal music, dance, drama, folk art, creative writing, architecture, design and allied fields, painting, sculpture, photography, graphic and craft arts, motion picture, radio, television, tape and sound recording, and other arts related to the presentation, performance, execution, and exhibition of these major art forms. Funding Period The 2024 Grant Cycle will be for projects that take place between September 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025. Eligibility Criteria In order to be eligible for consideration, applicants and proposed projects must meet each of the following criteria: Applying organizations must be a 501(c) 3 tax exempt organization or government equivalent and actively pursuing its goals as a chartered organization for at least one year prior to applying. The project must directly enhance and promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry, i.e. a project that is likely to draw tourists and hotel guests. The project must fit into the Tax Code 351.101(a)(4) funding category that enhances the Arts. Applicants must be in good standing with both the City of Lubbock and Civic Lubbock, Inc. at the time applications are considered. Restrictions  Grant funds may not be used for the following: elimination of accumulated debt any travel personnel expense normally associated with general operations of the organization operating/overhead expenses normally associated with general operations of the organization fundraising events or activities projects already funded or completed receptions, social functions, or parties capital improvements, renovations, construction, structural maintenance of facilities or purchase of real property For more information, visit City of Lubbock.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit arts organizations in rural communities with populations of 15,000 or fewer, helping them to create and sustain exceptional artistic programs that engage and benefit local residents.

This grant provides financial support to veteran women entrepreneurs in Texas to help them grow and strengthen their small businesses through innovative projects.

This grant provides funding to cities and townships served by CenterPoint Energy for purchasing safety equipment and implementing safety-related projects to enhance community safety.

This program provides financial assistance to commercial property owners in Snyder for exterior improvements that enhance the visual appeal and historic character of their businesses.

This grant provides financial support to woman-owned small businesses in rural Texas to help them grow and innovate their operations.

This grant provides financial support to Black entrepreneurs who are positively impacting their communities, helping them grow and sustain their businesses.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations in the Brazos Valley region of Texas to support initiatives that improve health, education, and financial stability for local residents.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for projects that promote legal education, public legal services, and initiatives that enhance trust in the legal profession.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations focused on reproductive health, civic engagement, human services in the Dallas area, and medical research, with a strong emphasis on promoting racial equity.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to local governments and nonprofit organizations in Texas that offer programs and services benefiting veterans.