Court Improvement Program

Publication Date: May 31, 2022
Current as of:

Section 438 of Title IV-B, subpart 2 of the Social Security Act sets aside funding for the Court Improvement Program (CIP).   The State CIP is a mandatory formula grant available to the highest court of appeal in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  The purpose of the CIP is to: (1) promote the continuous quality improvement of court processes and legal representation in child welfare proceedings through ongoing data analysis, assessment, interventions and training, and (2) enhance and expand collaboration between the judicial branch of state government, the title IV-E/IV-B agency and tribes to improve child welfare outcomes.  In addition to the State CIP formula grants, approximately $1 million is set aside for Tribal CIP. These funds are awarded competitively.  

The formula for the State CIP grants provides State courts with an approved application, a $255,000 base allotment plus, after the sum of all states’ base amounts and the $1 million set aside for grants to tribes are subtracted from the total appropriation, a percentage of the remainder based on the state’s proportionate share of children under age 21.

Budget Information:
FY 2024 Funding:  approximately $31 million