The NCJFCJ will host the 2026 National Conference on Juvenile Justice on March 15-18, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The conference features plenary and breakout sessions on juvenile justice, trafficking, child welfare, court best practices, innovative solutions, and self-care. More information is available on the NCJFCJ website.
The Children’s Commission is offering up to 8 scholarships to Texas judges to attend the in-person 2026 National Conference on Juvenile Justice. Please note, this is a reimbursement scholarship and confirmed awardees will be required to cover their expenses up front in order to attend. Please read below for scholarship criteria, logistics, and a link to apply.
Scholarship Details and Criteria:
To be eligible for a scholarship from the Children’s Commission, applicants must handle civil child welfare cases. Preference is given to judges who have larger percentages of their docket dedicated to child welfare cases. Additionally, all scholarship recipients must agree to complete a post-event survey from the Children’s Commission. Early applications are strongly encouraged due to the limited number of scholarships.
This scholarship takes the form of reimbursed registration fees and allowable conference-related expenses, such as travel, lodging, and meals, up to $2,000 total. Any additional expenses must be covered by the scholarship recipient.
Scholarship Notification and Travel Logistics:
The Children’s Commission will notify all applicants of their scholarship status by November 21, 2025. Scholarship recipients are required to self-register for the conference and make individual travel arrangements, including hotel reservations. Confirmed scholarship recipients may submit for reimbursement of eligible expenses upon conclusion of the conference. For information regarding eligible travel expenses, please review the Commission’s travel reimbursement guidelines.
Please also note the following important dates:
- The early bird registration rate ends on January 16, 2026, and
- NCJFCJ’s final date to cancel registration is March 6, 2026, with a $100 fee.
Scholarship recipients are responsible for monitoring the NCJFCJ’s cancellation policies and cancelling their own registration and travel plans in a timely manner, should they become unable to attend. The Children’s Commission cannot offer reimbursement to those who incur costs and do not attend. More information on NCJFCJ’s cancellation policy is available on the registration webpage.
All scholarship recipients are responsible for monitoring notices and emails from the event organizer. The Children’s Commission is not affiliated with the event and may not be aware of notices issued by the event organizer regarding cancellation policies, CLE notices and reporting rules, notices or policies regarding COVID-19, etc.
For questions regarding this scholarship, please contact the Children's Commission at CCscholarships@txcourts.gov.
Application Link and Deadline to Apply:
Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. To apply, click the button below.

