Chapter 10.101 RCW County and City Public Defense Improvement Funds

RCW 10.101.050 establishes a state-funded grant program to improve public defense services in cities and counties. Grant funds are to be used to make appreciable, demonstrable improvements in the delivery of public defense services.

Application Process

OPD is not yet accepting RCW 10.101 funds applications for 2026.

Applications for 2026 county funding will be available in 2025. 
Applications for 2026-2027 city grand awards will be available in 2025. 

Program Policies

Recipients

City Grant Awards

Each year OPD distributes more than one million dollars to cities for making and/or sustaining improvements to public defense. Cities may apply for these grant funds under a competitive program described in Chapter 10.101 RCW. The participating cities use grant funds to support services such as: providing counsel at first appearance, adding attorneys to reduce caseloads, increasing attorney compensation, paying for professional investigator and expert services, providing interpreters for attorney-client meetings, and integrating social services to public defense representation.

County Funding

Each county that applies for Chapter 10.101 RCW funds receives a pro-rata share of available state funding, based on the formula and other criteria in RCW 10.101.070. The amounts for each county may differ from prior year funding amounts primarily due to a county's increase or decrease in felony filings. Felony filings are a significant factor in the funding distribution formula established in RCW 10.101.070.