Grants Aim to Improve Court Process For Families
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowNineteen counties will share more than $240,000 in grants from the Indiana Supreme Court. The funding will support “innovative” pilot programs to improve the judicial process for families. April 6, 2015
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Indiana Supreme Court awarded $242,911 in grant money to benefit 19 counties in support of local family court projects. The grants (ranging between $35,000 to $4,000) were awarded to the following counties:
Judge Charles Pratt, Allen County – $35,000
Judge Cynthia Ayers, Marion County – $30,000
Judge Cynthia Ayers, Marion County IV-D Court – $30,000
Judge Judith Stewart, Brown County – $20,000 (shared with Jackson/Lawrence Co.)
Judge Bruce MacTavish, Jackson County – $20,000 (shared with Brown/Lawrence Co.)
Judge Andrea McCord, Lawrence County – $20,000 (shared with Brown/Jackson Co.)
Judge Elizabeth Tavitas, Lake County – $20,000
Judge Thomas Stefaniak, Jr., Lake County – $20,000
Judge Thomas Alevizos, LaPorte County – $15,000
Judge Mary Margaret Lloyd, Daviess/Pike/Vanderburgh/Vigo/Warrick County – $12,000*
Judge Thomas Busch, Tippecanoe County – $10,000
Judge David Bonfiglio, Elkhart County – $10,000
Judge Frances Hill, Monroe County – $10,000
Judge Dena Martin, Greene County – $6,184
Judge Michael Robbins, Lawrence County – $6,002
Judge Douglas Fahl, Whitley County – $5,000
Judge Alison Frazier, Jefferson County – $5,000
Judge Lori Thatcher Quillen, Owen County – $4,725
Judge Gary Smith, Jennings County – $4,000
The Family Court Project began in 1999 with cooperation from the Indiana General Assembly. Since then, the Supreme Court has distributed nearly 3.5 million dollars to support family court projects across the state. The grants are considered “seed money” and pilot counties are expected to transition within a reasonable time from “seed” funding to local funding.
The grants are designed to create innovative programs that improve the court process for families. Priority was given to applications that emphasized four areas of programming:
Access to Justice – improving access to the courts for families without attorneys
Alternative Dispute Resolution/Early Case Management – promoting timely resolution of cases
Court-Related Services – implementing other programs that support families throughout the court process
Judicial-Academic Partnerships – engaging academic partners in researching and analyzing court practices and services, and identifying evidence-based practices
More information on the Family Court Project is available at courts.in.gov/family-court.
Source: The Indiana Supreme Court