Fort Bend County to gift its final family protection grant to domestic violence nonprofits in 2023

Fort Bend County has invited family violence service organizations to apply for its last family protection fee grant before it becomes obsolete. The fiscal year 2023 grant totals to $9,559.65, a 76.5% decrease from the FY 2022 grant worth $40,730.70, which was distributed to four Fort Bend County nonprofits.

Per a Jan. 5 press release announcing the award, these funds were made available through a $15 fee collected by the District Clerk’s office when a dissolution of a marriage suit was filed under Chapter 6, Family Code.

Commissioner’s Court previously adopted this practice under Government Code, Title 2, which allowed the county's district clerk to donate funds to domestic violence organizations.

“With the help of our nonprofits, victims of domestic violence and their children can seek safety and get the support and assistance they need,” Fort Bend County Judge KP George said in the release. “The only way to end domestic abuse is to work together to rebuild the lives of survivors and their children, and the Family Protection Fee Grant will help support efforts to do so.”

However, the June 14, 2021 passing of Texas Senate Bill 41 will end this practice. The bill, which became effective Jan. 1, 2022, consolidated civil court filing fees and established a streamlined system—keeping the court’s remaining revenue neutral and disallowing the fee collection, officials said.

The grant will be awarded to an organization which provides domestic violence prevention; intervention; mental health, counseling and legal services—including marriage preservation services to families who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing family violence or the abuse of a child, according to the press release.

The grant application will close Jan. 31.