Tribal Court Improvement Program

The Tribal Court Improvement Program is a federal funding opportunity aimed at enhancing the capacity of tribal courts to effectively manage American Indian and Alaska Native child welfare cases, with a focus on family preservation, reunification, guardianship, and adoption. This initiative, administered by the Administration for Children and Families under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, seeks to strengthen tribal court systems by supporting assessments of current practices and implementing improvements that ensure court proceedings are timely, fair, legally sound, and culturally appropriate. The program emphasizes partnerships with tribes to promote child safety, family well-being, and the integrity of judicial processes within tribal jurisdictions. Funding is available through solicitation number HHS-2026-ACF-ACYF-CS-0020, which was posted on July 8, 2026, with a response deadline of August 7, 2026. Applications must be submitted through the official grants portal, and inquiries can be directed to the designated point of contact at the Administration for Children and Families. This opportunity is open to tribal courts and related entities seeking to build sustainable, trauma-informed, and child-centered court systems that uphold the unique legal and cultural needs of American Indian and Alaska Native communities. There is no set-aside designation, and the program operates under federal grant guidelines with performance expected across tribal jurisdictions nationwide.