After years of abuse, many domestic violence victims take a brave step: they come to local courts to seek legal protection. Too often, however, they experience inadequate safety measures, inappropriate demeanor by court staff, and insufficiently trained judges — and these impede their efforts to stop the violence. Court Watch is determined to change that. Its cadre of volunteers collects data about what is actually happening in civil domestic violence courtrooms in Montgomery County, uses the data to advocate for systemic change in local courts, and shares promising new court practices. And it works. Today, because of CW’s efforts, more survivors are protected from contact with their abusers in court; more children have safe, court-supervised visits with their non-custodial parent; and fewer abusers have access to guns. An investment here means justice — and safety — for thousands.

Headquarters: MD-Montgomery County

Where They Operate: MD-Montgomery County; Silver Spring and Rockville District Courthouses

Age Groups Served: All


  • Number of volunteers who work with us annually:   70
  • Criminal domestic violence cases monitored:   500
  • Protective order hearings monitored:   500
  • Number of hours of volunteer work we record annually:   7206.25 from 2019

Awards & Recognition

GuideStar "Seal of Transparency - Gold" 2018
2019 Anna Julia Cooper Award for the Application of Social Science in Community Service
2017 Governor's Service Award
2017 Montgomery Serves Volunteer Award
2015 Community Partnership Award, Family Justice Center Foundation
2014 Civic Momentum Award, IMPACT Silver Spring
2014 County Council of Montgomery County Proclamation recipient
2013 Governor’s Citation for Victim Services
2012 Community Safety Award, Partnership for a Safer Maryland
2012 County Council of Montgomery County Proclamation recipient
2011 Community Award, Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence

Press

  • No stories found

Budget (FY2023)

  • $3 million or higher
  • $1 million to $3 million
  • $500k to $1 million
  • The current budget for Court Watch Montgomery is: Less than $500k

Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to $3 million. This graphic indicates the budget range of the organization featured here. If you see an organizational budget above the $3 million mark, that is because the featured charity has grown in size since it first appeared in the Catalogue. We proudly present on our website the work of these "growth" charities.

About Spur Local

Every year, 190+ local nonprofits (with budgets under $4M) apply to join the Spur Local network. 170+ community volunteers assess these applications for impact. 100% of organizations are site visited and financially reviewed. Finally, 76+ critical, local nonprofits are selected for inclusion in Spur Local's annual print and digital catalog, and enter a four-year partnership with us. Since 2003, we have raised over $65 million for nonprofits across the Greater Washington region. We charge no fees and raise funds separately to support our work.

Spur Local looks to friends like you to keep our services independent and entirely free of charge. Consider a small contribution to Spur Local to cap off your gift and help the causes you care about get the full support they deserve!

If you like Court Watch Montgomery you might also like



This organization collaborates with