Primary Department: County Administration
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Jesse Dickerman, Interim County Administrator
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Grant - Amendment
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of County Administration for approval to accept an amendment to an agreement with the MacArthur Foundation to extend the grant end date to September 30, 2026 for the Safety + Justice Challenge Sustainability Grant.
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Background and Discussion:
Harris County was selected in 2016 as one of eleven jurisdictions nationwide to participate in the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC). Since that time, the County has received more than $4.1 million in grant funding to implement strategies to improve the local justice system. On 02/12/2026, the MacArthur Foundation approved the County’s request for a no‑cost extension to utilize remaining grant funds in support of ongoing SJC initiatives, including the work of the Racial and Ethnic Equity (REE) Committee, the Community Assistance Resource Program, efforts to address the court case backlog, and strategies to reduce the jail population.
Expected Impact:
The extension will provide the additional time needed to expend the remaining grant funds, which will strengthen the County’s capacity to support the ongoing work of the Racial and Ethnic Equity (REE) Committee and to continue delivering mental health service interventions and nonappearance‑mitigation support for individuals released from the jail.
Alternative Options:
Not approve the SJC grant extension, in which case the grant will expire, and the remaining funds will go
unused.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: B: Reduce criminal legal system exposure that does not advance public safety.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): B1: Increase the use of effective and efficient deflection responses using non-criminal justice resources for non-violent behaviors, particularly those primarily related to substance use, mental health, poverty, and homelessness.B1
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan: N/A
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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02/27/2025 |
71 |
Approval to accept a no-cost extension |
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04/23/2024 |
463 |
Approval to accept a no-cost extension |
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02/21/2023 |
253 |
Approval to accept a no-cost extension |
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05/10/2022 |
189 |
DUA |
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04/27/2021 |
173 |
Grant Acceptance |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Safety and Justice Challenge Grant |
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Total Existing Budget |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
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Additional Positions Request |
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Total Personnel |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 2/26/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Tonya Mills, Managing Director, Office of County Administration; Karen Evans, Manager of Justice Innovation, Office of County Administration; Naomi Walker, Finance Manager, Office of County Administration
Attachments (if applicable):
Email approval for a no-cost extension
No-cost extension letter to MacArthur