Expanded Public Defense Grant (Holistic Defense)

Purpose

The grant goal is to expand public defense services, specifically holistic defense, in California. Holistic defense is a client-centered approach to public defense that addresses client needs beyond their immediate criminal case, including drivers into the criminal legal system and collateral consequences of legal system involvement. It generally relies on multi-disciplinary teams.

Description

Allowable uses of the funding include: · Hiring social workers, mental health professionals, housing specialists or similar staff who can support holistic defense for clients. · Establishing or expanding holistic defense initiatives. · Specialized training for defense attorneys and interdisciplinary staff in holistic defense implementation. · Data collection and independent evaluation on the impact of holistic defense as it relates to client outcomes and public safety Applicants are encouraged to review evidence-based literature, talk to stakeholders, and utilize their institutional expertise when creating their proposals. Funding Limits Applicants will self-select into the small scope, large scope, or multicounty category. Small scope projects aare limited to requests of up to $450,000. Large scope projects are limited to requests of up to $850,000. A multi-county proposal will be capped at $1.8 million. Small and large scope projects will be scored using the same criteria and scoring matrix but will be compared only to those proposals in their same category. Applicants may apply for any dollar amount up to and including the maximum grant amounts listed but applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for only the amount of funding needed to implement the project during the 26-month grant period. Proposals will be scored, in part, on the reasonableness of the proposed budget. Indirect costs shall not exceed 10% of the overall budget proposal request.