Causes: Crime & Law

Mission: To award grants to improve the quality of justice in state courts and foster innovative and efficient solutions to common issues faced by all state courts.

Programs: The state justice institute awards the following types of grants: partner grants, project grants, technical assistance (ta) grants, curriculum adaptation & training (cat) grants, and scholarships:project grants: are the centerpiece of sji's efforts to improve the administration of justice in state courts nationwide. Project grants are intended to support innovative technical assistance, education and training, and demonstration projects that can improve the administration of justice in state courts. Partner grants: allow sji and federal, state, or local agencies or foundations, trusts, or other private entities to combine financial resources in pursuit of common interests. Strategic initiatives grants: sji requested, and congress approved, the strategic initiatives grants (sig) program in fy 2008. This funding provides sji the flexibility to address national court issues as they occur, and develop solutions to those problems. Technical assistance (ta) grants: are designed to provide state and local courts with funding to obtain expert assistance to diagnose a problem, develop a response to that problem, and initiate implementation of any needed changes. Curriculum adaptation and training (cat) grants: enable courts and regional or national court associations to modify and adapt model curricula or course modules to meet state or local jurisdiction educational needs, train instructors to present portions or all of the curricula, and pilot-test them to determine their appropriateness, quality, and effectiveness. Scholarships: enhance the skills, knowledge, and abilities of judges and court managers by supporting attendance at programs sponsored by national and state providers that they could not otherwise attend because of limited state, local, and personal budgets.