Pursuant to the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10701, et seq.), Congress authorizes SJI to award grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to the following entities and types of organizations:
- State and local courts and their agencies
- National nonprofit organizations that serve the judicial branch of state government or train
judges and support personnel of the judicial branch of state government
- Nonprofit organizations with expertise in judicial administration, institutions of higher education, individuals, partnerships, firms, corporations (for-profit organizations must waive their fees), and private agencies with expertise in judicial administration. Awards to these entities will only be made if these entities can best serve the objectives of the project.
SJI is prohibited from awarding grants to federal, tribal, and international courts.