In September 2014, the Delaware Center for Justice was selected for a competitive two-year grant by the U.S. Department of Justice through the federal Edward Byrne Memorial grant program, which Biden helped steer significant funding to as vice president and senator.

His daughter, Ashley Biden, 38, had been associate director of the Delaware Center for Justice for about a year at the time. Two months after the grant selection, the nonprofit organization announced that she had been promoted to executive director.

Joe Biden was one of the top advocates for the Edward Byrne grant while in the Senate and helped steer $1.7 billion to the program as vice president. The grant, which was named in honor of a fallen New York City Police Department officer, typically supports efforts to strengthen local law enforcement. The program has also faced criticism from justice reform organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which claimed it perpetuated "racial disparities, police corruption, over-incarceration and civil rights abuses."