The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has announced the FY25 Enhancing Youth Defense funding opportunity, under Funding Opportunity Number O-OJJDP-2025-172279. This program aims to strengthen youth defense systems by improving the quality and accessibility of legal representation for juveniles involved in the justice system. The initiative focuses on addressing gaps in juvenile defense services, providing specialized training and technical assistance to youth defenders, and advancing equitable justice practices.

The program seeks to address systemic deficiencies such as lack of access to qualified legal representation, financial barriers to legal counsel, undertrained or overburdened defense attorneys, and insufficient advocacy for alternatives to incarceration. The funding supports projects aimed at improving holistic youth defense, expanding defense services to address collateral consequences, advocating for education rights, and ensuring culturally competent representation for marginalized populations, including youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and economically disadvantaged youth.

Eligible applicants include state, county, and city governments, public and private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status. Applicants must provide public defense services to juveniles and demonstrate capacity to implement sustainable improvements in youth legal representation. Each organization may submit more than one application if each proposal addresses a distinct project. Cost-sharing or matching funds are not required.

OJJDP anticipates awarding up to 1,600,000 dollars, with a maximum of 400,000 dollars per award. Approximately four awards are expected, and the anticipated period of performance is 36 months, beginning October 1, 2025. Funds will support activities such as defender training programs, the development of juvenile defense resources, enhanced case management systems, and engagement of youth and families in defense strategy development.

Applications must be submitted in two steps. The SF-424 form must first be submitted via Grants.gov by February 5, 2025, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The full application, including all required attachments such as the project narrative, budget detail form, and letters of support, must then be submitted through JustGrants by February 19, 2025, at 8:59 PM Eastern Time. Organizations must ensure active registrations in both SAM.gov and Grants.gov before submission.

Evaluation criteria include clarity of project goals and objectives, feasibility of implementation plans, demonstrated organizational capacity, cost-effectiveness, and the strength of monitoring and evaluation strategies. OJJDP will prioritize applications that emphasize youth and family partnerships, culturally responsive approaches, and alignment with OJJDP’s guiding philosophy of treating children as children, serving them in their communities, and opening opportunities for positive youth development.

Successful applicants will be required to submit quarterly financial reports, semi-annual performance reports, and a final narrative report outlining program accomplishments. They must also comply with civil rights requirements, financial transparency regulations, and performance measurement data collection as stipulated by OJJDP guidelines.