The Indiana Supreme Court awarded more than $225,000 in grant money to benefit 19 counties. The following grants will support local family court projects:
- Delaware – $50,000 – Judge Kimberly Dowling
- Steuben – $30,000 – Judge William Fee
- Marion – $28,000 – Judge Cynthia Ayers
- Vigo – $25,000 – Judge Lakshmi Reddy
- Monroe – $11,910 – Judge Frances Hill
- Allen – $10,000 – Judge Charles Pratt
- Brown/Jackson/Lawrence – $10,000 – to be shared among Judges Judith Stewart, Bruce MacTavish, and Andrea McCord
- Elkhart – $10,000 – Judge David Bonfiglio
- LaPorte – $10,000 – Judge Thomas Alevizos
- Tippecanoe – $10,000 – Judge Faith Graham
- Vanderburgh/Pike/Daviess/Vigo/Warrick – $10,000 – Judge Mary Margaret Lloyd
- Greene – $5,809 – Judge Dena Martin
- Lawrence – $5,749 – Judge Michael Robbins
- Owen – $4,810 – Judge Lori Thatcher Quillen
- Jennings – $4,000 – Judge Gary Smith
The grants distributed for 2016 will focus on creating innovative programs that improve access to the courts for families. Projects include a walk-in clinic at the courthouse for those unable to obtain legal representation, low cost alternative dispute resolution for families who would be otherwise unable to afford mediation, alternative dispute resolution for high-conflict elder care cases, and a voluntary study into the effectiveness of online parent education programs. The counties are expected to transition within a reasonable time from seed funding to local funding.
The Family Court Project began in 1999 with cooperation from the Indiana General Assembly. Since then, the Supreme Court has distributed more than 3.5 million dollars to support family court projects across the state. More information is available at courts.IN.gov/family-court.
