The Indiana Supreme Court awarded $242,911 in grant money to benefit 19 counties in support of local family court projects. The grants, ranging between $35,000 to $4,000, were awarded to the following counties:

• Judge Charles Pratt, Allen County – $35,000
• Judge Cynthia Ayers, Marion County – $30,000
• Judge Cynthia Ayers, Marion County IV-D Court – $30,000
• Judge Judith Stewart, Brown County – $20,000 (shared with Jackson/Lawrence Co.)
• Judge Bruce MacTavish, Jackson County – $20,000 (shared with Brown/Lawrence Co.)
• Judge Andrea McCord, Lawrence County – $20,000 (shared with Brown/Jackson Co.)
• Judge Elizabeth Tavitas, Lake County – $20,000
• Judge Thomas Stefaniak, Jr., Lake County – $20,000
• Judge Thomas Alevizos, LaPorte County – $15,000
• Judge Mary Margaret Lloyd, multiple counties – $12,000
• Judge Thomas Busch, Tippecanoe County – $10,000
• Judge David Bonfiglio, Elkhart County – $10,000
• Judge Frances Hill, Monroe County – $10,000
• Judge Dena Martin, Greene County – $6,184
• Judge Michael Robbins, Lawrence County – $6,002
• Judge Douglas Fahl, Whitley County – $5,000
• Judge Alison Frazier, Jefferson County – $5,000
• Judge Lori Thatcher Quillen, Owen County – $4,725
• Judge Gary Smith, Jennings County – $4,000

The Family Court Project began in 1999 with cooperation from the Indiana General Assembly. Since then, the Supreme Court has distributed nearly 3.5 million dollars to support family court projects across the state. The grants are considered “seed money” and pilot counties are expected to transition within a reasonable time from “seed” funding to local funding.

The grants are designed to create innovative programs that improve the court process for families. Priority was given to applications that emphasized four areas of programming:

• Access to Justice – improving access to the courts for families without attorneys
  Alternative Dispute Resolution/Early Case Management – promoting timely resolution of cases
• Court-Related Services – implementing other programs that support families throughout the court process
• Judicial-Academic Partnerships – engaging academic partners in researching and analyzing court practices and services, and identifying evidence-based practices

More information on the Family Court Project is available at courts.in.gov/family-court.

Source: The Indiana Supreme Court; Inside INdiana Business