OJJDP FY 2023 Enhancing Youth Defense | O OJJDP 2023 171587

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OJJDP 2023 171587

The OJJDP FY 2023 Enhancing Youth Defense grant is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, aimed at helping jurisdictions strengthen legal defense services for young people who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The core purpose is to expand access to high-quality legal representation for youth, with the broader goal of improving fairness, outcomes, and trust in the juvenile justice process. This opportunity sits within DOJ and OJP priorities focused on advancing civil rights and racial equity, increasing access to justice, supporting people impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, and reinforcing public trust.

The solicitation is grounded in OJJDPs larger push to transform juvenile justice in ways that treat children as children, keep young people at home with their families and in their communities whenever appropriate, and open up opportunities for system-involved youth. In practical terms, applicants are expected to design projects that do more than deliver services in isolation. Proposals should show how the work fits into these transformation goals, such as improving the quality and consistency of youth defense, reducing harmful or unnecessary system involvement, and ensuring legal advocacy is developmentally appropriate and responsive to the realities young people face.

A major requirement running through the opportunity is meaningful and sustainable youth and family partnership. OJJDP emphasizes that youth and family members with lived experience are essential to understanding what young people need from the justice system and how programs can actually reach and serve them effectively. Applicants must explain how youth and family partnerships will be integrated into both the project plan and the budget, signaling that engagement is not meant to be symbolic or occasional, but built into day-to-day operations and long-term decision-making.

The solicitation describes several ways applicants can structure that partnership, depending on the nature of their project. At the individual level, partnership can show up in case planning and direct service delivery, including support before, during, and after system contact. At the agency level, youth and family can be involved in shaping policy, practice, program development, implementation, evaluation, advisory bodies, staffing approaches, and even budget development. At the system level, partnership can extend into strategic planning, broader system improvement initiatives, advocacy strategies, and reform efforts that influence how the juvenile defense function operates across a jurisdiction.

Eligible applicants are units of government, specifically state governments, county governments, city or township governments, and special district governments. The grant is listed under CFDA 16.836 (law, justice, and legal services) and uses the grant funding instrument type. The funding opportunity number is O-OJJDP-2023-171587. The solicitation was created on February 13, 2023, with an original application closing date of April 3, 2023. OJJDP anticipated making two awards, with an award ceiling of $650,630 per award.

Overall, this grant opportunity is designed to help jurisdictions improve the quality and accessibility of youth defense while aligning juvenile justice practice with a youth-centered philosophy. The emphasis on racial equity, civil rights, and community trust reflects a recognition that legal representation is not only a service, but also a key lever for reducing disparities and ensuring that youth and families have a real voice in decisions that affect their lives.

• The Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OJJDP FY 2023 Enhancing Youth Defense" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.836.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 13, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 03, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $650,630.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments.

Apply for O OJJDP 2023 171587

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