FFLA: Administration of Justice Grant Program

The FFLA Administration of Justice Grant Program aims to enhance the effectiveness of court operations through funding innovative legal service projects. Open to not-for-profit organizations, the program supports initiatives that improve legal access, public education on the law, and pro bono efforts. Past grantees have developed facilities for child witnesses and trained law enforcement on mental health issues. Grants vary in amount and are typically awarded for one to two years, encouraging matching funding to maximize impact.

NOTE: Grant applications are available each January and due in February. Grants are awarded in March and distributed in April. The funding period is April 1 – March 31.
Improvements in the Administration of Justice (AOJ) Grant
The purpose of the Improvements in the Administration of Justice (AOJ) Grant Program is to fund programs that support the process of operating the courts in an effective and expeditious manner. FFLA considers the following five areas to be conducive to the administration of justice:
Enhancing civil legal services through innovative and cost-effective means;Providing direct civil legal services either to groups of clients currently underserved by legal aid providers or in an area of representation (whether substantive or geographical) that cannot be or is not effectively served by individual qualified civil legal aid providers;Improving the operation and management of the court and justice systems;Public education and understanding about the law, including law-related education;Innovative and transformative pro bono projects; orOtherwise promote the improvement of the administration of justice.
Past projects supported by AOJ grants include a county bar association effort to build a special witness room for child victims and witnesses in the local courthouse and a statewide disability rights group’s efforts to train law enforcement to identify and deal effectively with the mentally disabled.
AOJ grants typically are awarded for demonstration projects with replication potential, as start-up funds or seed money for a one- or two-year period, or for studies, commissions and other types of research. Applicants are encouraged to seek matching funds.
Grant Amount
Grant amounts vary based on available funding.

Eligibility

Applicants eligible for AOJ grants must be not-for-profit tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, or otherwise demonstrate the charitable purposes of the project for which funding is requested.

Ineligibility

AOJ grants are not awarded to individuals.Because of limited funding, FFLA generally does not award AOJ grants for direct service programs (e.g. drug treatment or counseling), established programs or replicas of established programs, local community groups, or programs for which there is a governmental responsibility to provide funding.