Colorado Judicial Branch - Administration - Financial Services - Family Violence Justice Fund Grant Program

Family Violence Justice Fund Grant Program

General Information

The Family Violence Justice Fund (Fund) was established in 1999 to expand the availability of legal assistance for victims of family violence. In Fiscal Year 2021/22, the grants totaling $1.94 million were awarded to 16 nonprofit legal services organizations in Colorado. In Fiscal Year 2022/23, 15 organizations received grants totaling $2.1 million.

Annual grant funding is allocated to qualified organizations based on a geographic, need-driven formula that considers the number of low-income persons (i.e., individuals living near or below the poverty line) who may need services in each county or city and county across the State. If there is more than one qualified organization within a county or city and county, funding is allocated in proportion to the number of clients served by each qualified organization or its predecessor in the preceding grant award year.

All grants are awarded on a cost-reimbursement basis and must be used for the purposes set forth in Section 14-4-107(2), C.R.S. Grantees are also subject to quarterly reporting requirements.

Qualified Organizations

To be qualified, the organization must:

Have demonstrated experience and expertise in providing comprehensive civil legal services, with preference given to organizations that serve low-income clients at no cost rather than reduced cost.
Be based in Colorado.
Be exempt from taxation pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
Obtain more than 33 percent of their funding from sources other than grants from the Fund

Grant Uses

Grants funds must be used to provide eligible services in covered proceedings for and on behalf of indigent clients who are victims of family violence.

Definitions

Indigent: As noted in Section 14-4-107(5)(d), C.R.S., for this grant indigent refers to a person whose income does not exceed 125% percent of the family federal poverty guidelines, adjusted for family size, determined annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Covered Proceedings: Include, but are not limited to:

any protection order proceeding
action for dissolution of marriage, legal separation, or declaration of invalidity of marriage
action for dissolution of a civil union, legal separation, or declaration of invalidity of a civil union
paternity action;
child custody action
proceeding to establish or enforce child support
administrative hearingsany other judicial actions in which family violence is an issue or in which legal representation is necessary to protect the interests of a victim of family violence

Eligible Services Provided related to Covered Proceedings:

Full/Direct Legal Representation: The attorney and the client sign an Engagement Agreement that includes the general process the attorney will perform and expectations for the attorney and the client. Full Representation involves the attorney taking the lead in drafting and filing court documents, negotiating with opposing counsel, and appearing in court and mediation. Under a Full Representation arrangement, the attorney enters his or her appearance in the court record and all communication with the client from the court or opposing counsel must be made through the attorney.
Other Legal Services:

Legal Advice: Advice and guidance provided to indigent clients by a licensed attorney related to their specific situation. This can include, but is not limited to, legal interpretation and research. Giving legal advice is prescribing or suggesting certain courses of action based on presumed legal knowledge.
Legal Information: General information provided to indigent clients that can apply to anyone in the same situation. This can be done by staff other than a licensed attorney and does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Typically, this includes explaining the law and legal system in general terms, not tailored to a specific case.
Limited Legal Representation: This is similar to a consulting agreement in which the client contacts the attorney for assistance with specific agreed-upon tasks. This service is fully defined in Rule 11(b) of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedures.
- In most situations, the client leads the case and represents themself (pro se) during court appearances and mediation while the attorney only acts behind the scenes on an as-needed basis. It can also include a one-time appearance by an attorney in court proceedings.
- Common tasks include answering questions, conducting legal research for a specific issue, reviewing, or drafting legal documents, and being available for consultation during mediation.
- If the attorney drafts documents for the client, other than pre-printed and electronically published forms issued by the judicial branch, the attorney must disclose to the court that drafting assistance was provided. This does not, however, mean that the attorney becomes the client’s attorney of record. The client remains pro se.
- If the attorney does not provide drafting assistance, the court and the opposing party may never know the client has been working with an attorney.
Mediation Services: Providing mediation services for disputes between landlords and tenants that could prevent or resolve the filing of an eviction.
Educational Clinics: Clinics designed to educate and assist indigent victims of family violence in covered proceedings, including providing information related to the rights and responsibilities of clients.

Grant Information

2023/24 Grant Year (covering 7/1/2023-6/30/2024)

See the Business Resources on the right for important information about the grant

Grant Awards

Advocates for Victims of Assault	$1,946
Alpine Legal Services	$22,851
Alternative Horizons	$9,638
Bright Future Foundation	$8,811
Colorado Legal Services	$1,474,433
Crossroads Safehouse	$45,368
Family Tree	$17,266
Justice and Mercy Legal Aid	$191,444
Pikes Peak Justice and Pro Bono Center	$166,221
Pro Bono Project of Mesa County, Inc.	$7,008
Project Hope of Gunnison Valley	$3,997
Project Safeguard	$49,007
Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center	$38,690
Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley	$44,899
Uncompahgre Volunteer Legal Aid	$18,426