Tribal Court Improvement Program

For program questions:
Catherine Heath
888.203.6161
CB@grantreview.org

For grants management questions:
Sarah Viola
888.203.6161
CB@grantreview.org

Grants.gov contact center:
800.518.4726
support@grants.gov
Self-service knowledge base

System for award management (SAM):
866.606.8220
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The Tribal Court Improvement Program will help tribal courts assess and improve how they handle American Indian and Alaska Native child welfare cases. Recipients will conduct assessments or use the results of prior assessments to improve tribal court hearings and legal representation. This includes cases involving family preservation, family reunification, guardianship, and adoption.

If awarded, you will undertake activities to improve the handing of child welfare cases through activities such as assessing how tribal courts handle child welfare proceedings, and making changes based on that assessment, and supporting implementation of such changes. These changes can include:

• Ensuring that children's safety, permanency, and well-being are met in a timely and complete manner
• Improving the quality of court hearings and legal representation, including engagement of parties, through training and efforts to increase substantive and procedural justice

Year 1 of the award must be used for start-up activities that are aligned with the project's purpose and that will inform future project years. Years 2 through 4 will then build on this work through creation and approval of an implementation plan based on the needs assessment, and/or the implementation of such a plan that results in changes and improvements in the work of the courts. Assessments and implemented changes must be based on what the tribe considers important and in need of review and/or correction.

Tribal courts will have primary responsibility for leading the implementation of the proposed project. Your project must also show meaningful, ongoing collaboration with the tribal child welfare agency.

Eligible applicants are Indian tribes, as defined by subsections (E) and (I) of section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304), or tribal consortia that operate or plan to operate a title IV-E program or have a court that handles foster care or adoption cases.

Award ceiling: $250,000
Award floor: $50,000 per year
Project period: 5 years
Estimated number of awards: 7
Estimated total program funding: $943,000

Links to the full announcement, application instructions, and the online application process are available through grants.gov.