Indigent Defense Grant Program
The Budget Act of 2020 (Senate Bill 74) established the Indigent Defense Grant Program (IDGP) and appropriated $10,000,000 in funding. Per the Budget Act, $9,800,000 was to be allocated for grants to county Public Defenders and up to $200,000 set aside for an evaluation of the IDGP. Grantees were required to use funds to address the staffing, training, case management needs, or other attorney support of Public Defender Offices.
2024 Report: Evaluation of California's Indigent Defense Grant Program
The BSCC selected RAND to conduct a statewide evaluation of the IDGP to assess the implementation and outcomes of the projects initiated by IDGP grantees. This report details the ways that grantees used program funds; what the funds enabled offices to accomplish during the grant period; and lessons learned from this program, which appears to have facilitated the first significant and widespread distribution of state funds to county-based public defense providers in California’s trial courts.
Read the report: An Evaluation of California's Indigent Defense Grant Program
2021 Indigent Defense Grantees
In February 2021 the BSCC released the Indigent Defense Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA). Funds were allocated to public defenders in the 19 counties with populations of 550,000 or fewer residents. The grant service period runs February 15, 2021 through June 30, 2024.
| # | County | Total Allocation | *PDO / ADO Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Dorado | $347,900 | |
| 2 | Humboldt | $416,500 | $323,400 to PDO $93,100 to ADO |
| 3 | Imperial | $347,900 | |
| 4 | Lassen | $274,400 | |
| 5 | Marin | $347,900 | |
| 6 | Mendocino | $416,500 | $323,400 to PDO $93,100 to ADO |
| 7 | Merced | $984,900 | |
| 8 | Monterey | $637,000 | |
| 9 | Napa | $323,400 | |
| 10 | Nevada | $323,400 | |
| 11 | Santa Barbara | $637,000 | |
| 12 | Shasta | $347,900 | |
| 13 | Siskiyou | $274,400 | |
| 14 | Solano | $852,600 | $637,000 to PDO $215,600 to ADO |
| 15 | Sonoma | $882,000 | |
| 16 | Stanislaus | $1,127,000 | |
| 17 | Tulare | $637,000 | |
| 18 | Tuolumne | $274,400 | |
| 19 | Yolo | $347,900 |
*PDO - Public Defender Office
ADO - Alternate Defender Office
Grantee Orientation
The BSCC held a virtual Grantee Orientation on April 29 & 30, 2021. This two-day gathering was a chance for Indigent Defense Grantees and the BSCC to review administrative and programatic responsibilities, invoicing, and other grant related activities. Below are resources from the Orientation.
Virtual Binder
Section 1: Welcome and Grant Overview – PowerPoint
Section 2: Administrative Overview – PowerPoint
File 1: Grant Admin Guide
File 2: Grant Application & Agreement Sample
Section 3: Fiscal Responsibilities – PowerPoint
File 1: Salaries and Benefits Worksheet
File 2: Supporting Document Checklist
File 3: Desk Review Instructions
Section 4: Data Collection & Evaluation Requirements – PowerPoint
File 1: LEP LER Guidelines
File 2: Race & Ethnicity Form
File 3: AB 1998
File 4: Evaluator Roles
File 5: Data Collection Tips
File 6: Evaluation Resources
File 7: Important Due Dates
File 8: Sample Progress Report
Section 5: Program Responsibilities – PowerPoint
File 1 CMV PDF
Contact the BSCC about the Indigent Defense Grant
To provide public comment submit an email to: IndigentDefenseGrant@bscc.ca.gov.
Indigent Defense Grant Contacts
- Dameion Renault, Field Representative, at Dameion.Renault@bscc.ca.gov
- Robert Hanson, Program Analyst, at Robert.Hanson@bscc.ca.gov