Indiana Supreme Court has awarded grants to 23 counties totaling more than $232,000 and Kosciusko County is among the recipients.

The grant money will support local family court projects and focus on creating innovative programs that improve the court process for families. Priority was given to applications that emphasized three areas of programming:

• Access to Justice – improving access to the courts for families without attorneys
• Alternative Dispute Resolution/Early Case Management – promoting timely resolution of cases
• Court-Related Services – implementing other programs that support families throughout the court process

The 2014 grants, ranged between $30,000 to $2,000. Locally, Judge Michael Reed of Kosciusko County Circuit Court was awarded $10,000. Elkhart County Judge David Bonfiglio was awarded $7,200.

The Family Court Project began in 1999 with cooperation from the Indiana General Assembly. Since then, the Supreme Court has distributed more than $3 million to support family court projects across the state. The grants are considered “seed money” and pilot counties are expected to transition within a reasonable time from “seed” funding to local funding.