The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at the U.S. Department of Justice has announced two funding opportunities available for counties.

The Smart on Juvenile Justice initiative will provide funding to (1) develop and implement standards of policy and practice to effectively manage well-resourced, statewide juvenile indigent defense systems; (2) develop state or regional resource centers to help state, tribal, and local juvenile defense systems enhance the quality of legal representation, leverage resources, and collect and analyze data to measure the effectiveness of specific initiatives; and (3) support community- based nonprofit organizations that provide direct civil legal services, mentoring, and reentry planning to youth in out-of-home placement who are transitioning or have recently transitioned back to their families and communities.

Applications are due by March 2. For more information, click here.

The Safe and Thriving Communities grant is for jurisdictions grappling with high levels of youth-related gun crime and gang violence that can demonstrate a willingness and readiness to develop fully comprehensive, community-and data-driven responses. Funding will support selected jurisdictions to undertake strategic planning and capacity-building work through multidisciplinary and community partnerships. Applications are due by April 3. For more information, click here.

Contributed by: Patrick Sieng | AOC Public Safety Policy Manager