Grants and Funding
Although the operational costs of specialty courts are primarily the responsibility of local courts and their funding units, additional funding assistance is available from these sources:
State Court Administrative Office / Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (SCAO Byrne JAG Program)
Funds are made available through an interagency agreement with the Michigan State Police. This SCAO grant program funds drug treatment court programs that target priority populations, consisting of prison-bound offenders, nonviolent felony offenders, and probation violators.
Grant applications are sent out by invitation only to those who qualify.
State Court Administrative Office / Office of Highway Safety Program Grant Program (SCAO OHSP Grant Program)
Administered by SCAO from funds received from the Michigan State Police, Office of Highway Safety Planning, the OHSP grant program is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This grant program provides funding for planning and implementation grants for new and expanding DWI treatment courts.
Grant applications are sent out by invitation only to those who qualify.
Michigan Drug Court Grant Program
SCAO provides funding assistance for drug courts through its Michigan Drug Court Grant Program (MDCGP). Funding must be re-appropriated annually by the Legislature.
The MDCGP is modeled after the federal Drug Court Grant Program and requires compliance with the 10 Key Components of Drug Courts as outlined in the federal guidelines. Adult, juvenile, family dependency, and DWI (focused on drunken driving cases) programs are eligible to receive funding from the MDCGP. Information on the availability of grant funding and the grant deadlines are announced in the spring of each year.
Previous funding from the Federal Drug Court Program is not required for this grant program. Preference for funding will be given to jurisdictions that are currently applying for or have participated in the Federal Drug Court Planning Initiative. Applicants applying for funding from this program will not be precluded from subsequently making application for funding from the Federal Drug Court Grant Program.
Michigan Mental Health Court Grant Program
The State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) and the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) have established a collaborative partnership to provide funding assistance for pilot mental health courts through its Michigan Mental Health Court Grant Program (MMHCGP).
Eligible applicants include trial courts partnering with the Community Mental Health Services Program (CMHSP) through a single joint application. Applications must reflect a partnership and collaboration between the court and CMHSP. Proposed programs must target adults with an Axis 1 Thought or Mood Disorder or a Developmental Disability as defined in MCL 330.1100a(2)(20), and be post-arraignment programs in order to meet MMHCGP funding eligibility requirements. Pre-arraignment programs are not the focus of this pilot initiative. Also, due to the short duration to plan and implement a pilot program, and the complexity of funding and program issues related to operating a juvenile mental health treatment court, juveniles are not included in the FY09 pilot initiative.
Michigan Community Court Grant Program
The State Court Administrative Office provides limited funding assistance from funds derived from its general fund to support one planning or implementation grant for a community court program. The office is not expanding the pilot program at this time.
Urban Drug Court Initiative
The Urban Drug court Initiative (UDCI) is a state-funded pilot program for adult drug courts operating in urban areas. Eligible applicants consist of urban drug courts in Detroit, Flint, Pontiac, and Saginaw. The State Court Administrative Office is not expanding the pilot program at this time.