Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program is a grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, established under Indiana Code § 31-40-5-6 to fund community-based alternatives to juvenile detention. The program supports public entities, units of state and local government, nonprofit organizations, and nongovernmental organizations that serve youth in Indiana's juvenile justice system.

Eligible applicants must be in good standing with the Indiana Department of Revenue, Department of Workforce Development, and Secretary of State. Funded programs must provide research-based, cost-effective alternatives to secure detention and out-of-home placement, work to reduce recidivism, and improve positive outcomes for youth. Applicants may serve multiple counties.

Grantees are required to submit monthly reports and develop a collaborative service plan.

CJI: Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program The Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Fund was established in Indiana Code § 31-40-5-6 .

Pursuant to ( IC § 31-40-5-3 ) the grant program has the following purpose areas: (1) to provide cost-effective, research-based alternatives in lieu of use of secure detention, out-of-home placement, and Department of Correction facilities in the community, (2) to reduce the use of secure confinement and out-of-home placement, and (3) to reduce recidivism and improve positive outcomes for children.

Applicants should review the Executive Orders issued since January 2025 to ensure program alignment with the current Administration’s priorities. Public entities, units of state and local government, nonprofit organizations, and nongovernmental organizations that provide services to youth involved in the juvenile justice system may apply for funding.

An entity may apply, but will not be eligible for a grant unless the entity meets the following: Verification of the entity’s good standing with Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR), Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), and Secretary of State (SOS). Any non-governmental entity must have an operating agreement or memorandum of understanding and a data sharing agreement with all referral entities.

Any grantee must have a collaborative service plan as described in IC 31-40-5-5 . Grant recipients must agree to monthly reporting. Training will be conducted with grantees regarding the reporting.

Program Reporting performance measures are explained in the Program Report Definitions document . Applicants may apply to serve multiple counties. In a multi-county application, the grantee must explicitly explain the approximate percentage of services that will be provided to each county they plan to work with.

Individualized plans for each county are required. The Youth Justice Oversight Committee developed guidelines for program development that achieve the best outcomes for youth development. The 2023 final report includes recommendations on best practices and next steps for enhancing Indiana's youth justice system.

The award period for this grant shall be July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028. Projects should begin on July 1, 2026, and must be in operation no later than sixty (60) days after this date. Failure to have the funded project operational within sixty (60) days from July 1, 2026, may result in termination of the grant and the de-obligation of all awarded funds.

All projects must conclude, and all funding obligations must be made no later than June 30, 2028. Outstanding expenses must be paid, and the final fiscal report must be submitted via IntelliGrants within thirty (30) days of June 30, 2028. Late monthly reports could have a negative effect on future funding.

The following budget items listed below are ineligible and will not be supported by this program’s funding: Direct financial assistance to a client, such as cash. Supplanting existing positions or offsetting existing expenses of the recipient.

Fundraising (including financial campaigns, endowment drives, solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar expenses incurred solely to raise capital or obtain contributions) and time spent procuring funding, including completing federal and state funding applications. Construction and physical modification to buildings, including minor renovations (such as painting or carpeting).

Indirect cost rate and/or de minimis rate The Youth Justice Oversight Committee has developed the following resources related to diversion programming: Indiana’s Plan for Behavioral Health (2023) Diversion Program Directory For purposes of this solicitation, please be cognizant of the following definitions: “Juvenile justice” refers to activities concerning: (1) the prevention or reduction of juvenile delinquency; (2) the apprehension and adjudication of juvenile offenders; (3) the disposition of juvenile offenders including protective techniques and practices; (4) the prevention of child abuse and neglect; and (5) the discovery, protection, and disposition of children in need of services ( Indiana Code § 5-2-6-1 ).

“Youth” means any individual who is under juvenile court jurisdiction or is an age at which he or she could be subject to original juvenile court jurisdiction within the state of Indiana. For a complete list of program report definitions, click here . Administrative costs are an allowable expense, but are limited to 10% of the total grant-funded budget.

Administrative costs include time to complete program-required time and attendance sheets and programmatic documentation, reports, and required statistics; administrative time to collect and maintain satisfaction surveys and needs assessments used to improve services delivery within the funded project. Administrative costs should not be a separate line item in the budget.

During the application process, there will be a section to state the anticipated percentage of time each position will spend on administrative duties for this program. This percentage is included with the percentage of time worked on the funded project and cannot exceed 10% of the total grant-funded budget.

Expenses and reimbursements for in-state and out-of-state travel must follow the most current Indiana Department of Administration State Travel Policy or the subrecipient’s travel policy, whichever is more restrictive. Non-essential travel is currently excluded under state policy. Learn more .

Contractors and Consultants A consultant evaluates an organization’s needs and provides professional advice and a contractor provides goods or performs services. When a recipient contracts for work or services, the following is required: All contractual services must be obtained through a procurement method. Verification of this method must be supplied upon completion of the contract.

Information about the procurement process can be found here. All consultant and contractual services shall be supported by written contracts signed by all parties stating the services to be performed, rate of compensation, and length of time over which the services will be provided. A copy of all written contracts for contractual or consultant services shall be attached in IntelliGrants to the grant file upon their ratification.

Payments shall be supported by statements outlining the services rendered, date of service, and cost of service. Program costs must meet the following criteria: Costs must be necessary and reasonable for the stated purpose of the grant. Costs must be in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Learn more . Costs must be consistent with policies and procedures of the grant program and applied uniformly. Costs must be adequately documented with supporting materials including receipts, invoices, timesheets, paystubs, etc. The ICJI supporting documentation policy can be found here .

The following attachments must be included in the application submission.

ICJI Juvenile Justice System Grants Application (PDF) ICJI Juvenile Justice System Grants Budget Template Agency Internal Controls Policy/Plan MOUs and/or Data sharing agreements (DSA) with all Community Partners related to the grant that involve sharing of data for reporting purposes Job descriptions for employee(s) included in the personnel section Contract or Proposal for each contractor in the budget Juvenile Justice subrecipients are required to submit reports in IntelliGrants.

Upon submission, an ICJI grant manager will then review and approve or deny the reports. Awards provided by this solicitation are for a twenty-four-(24) month period of funding. This program is funded by the Indiana General Assembly through the state’s biennial budget.

All awards are subject to change and may be modified, reduced, or discontinued depending on the funding allocated during the current legislative session. Grant award amounts are determined by a funding formula based on county population as follows: The formula allots an amount of $80,000 for large counties, $85,000 for medium counties, and $150,000 for small counties.

Smaller counties are able to receive more funding to comply with the statutory requirement to focus on rural counties. To find your county population, please visit the 2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer .

Past RFPs July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028 Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Request for Proposal October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2027 Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Request for Proposal July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2027 Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Request for Proposal April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2027 Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Request for Proposal October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2026 Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Request for Proposal July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2026 Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Request for Proposal January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025 Juvenile Community Alternatives Grant Program Request for Proposal For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the ICJI Helpdesk, which is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.

m. to 4:30 p. m.

ET, except state holidays. ICJI is not responsible for technical issues with grant submission within 48 hours of grant deadline. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Model Programs Guide The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP’s) Model Programs Guide (MPG) contains information about evidence-based juvenile justice and youth prevention, intervention, and reentry programs.

It is a resource for practitioners and communities about what works, what is promising, and what does not work in juvenile justice, delinquency prevention, and child protection and safety. Click the link to view the Model Programs Guide . Note: Information accurate as of 2025.

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES: The Office of Justice Programs has training and guidance for evidence-based practices. Read the guidance here . Apply for the Exoneration Fund Find the right child car seat File a violent-crime victim compensation claim Be notified of new grant availabilities Submit a records request from ICJI Death in Custody Reporting Tool Operation Pull Over Database More IN.

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