Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community Of The Trinidad Rancheria

Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community Of The Trinidad Rancheria, doing business as Trinidad Rancheria, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in Trinidad, California that operates as a federal grant recipient and tribal government providing community services, infrastructure development, and environmental stewardship to its members. The tribe is self-certified as a small disadvantaged business and competes exclusively under tribal government set-asides and dedicated federal grant programs for Native American tribes and tribal entities; it holds no federal prime contracts and does not compete in full-and-open procurements.

Trinidad Rancheria's federal footprint is almost entirely grant-funded (99% of awards are prime grants rather than contracts). The tribe has received 119 total awards spanning three decades, with recent activity averaging 8 to 15 awards per year from 2022 through 2024. The combined potential value of all awards documented is $92 thousand, but this represents placeholder formatting; the source reports $44.6 million in obligated dollars across the award portfolio, indicating substantial real federal funding flowing to the tribe for community programs. The single federal contract award in the portfolio is a $92,168.45 firm fixed-price definitive contract from the Morris K. Udall Foundation for West Coast Tribal Cultural Landscape Assessment research and documentation work, completed as of April 2026, with no subcontractors reported.

Grant work dominates Trinidad Rancheria's federal relationship. The top five customer agencies account for 51% of recent awards by count. The Federal Highway Administration leads with 21 awards supporting the Tribal Transportation Program (CFDA 20.205) and related transportation funding; recent awards in this series include $177,310.34 and $383,241.67 for fiscal year 2026 transportation program funding, and a $2 million Highway Planning and Construction award in fiscal year 2024. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Public and Indian Housing Office issued 11 awards including Indian Housing Block Grants and Rural Housing Preservation Grants; a representative $300 thousand award supports home repair and rehabilitation for very low- and low-income residents. The Institute of Museum and Library Services issued 9 grants for Native American Library Services Basics, including awards in fiscal year 2026 and 2025 to sustain and improve library services, acquire library materials, fund staff training, and conduct a library renovation project. The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued 9 awards, including a $1.719 million Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program award (CFDA 97.067) running through August 2027 for emergency planning, training, equipment, and cybersecurity, a $157,500 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant (CFDA 97.047) for disaster resilience work through June 2027, and a $2.46 million Homeland Security Grant Program award from September 2022. The EPA Region 9 issued multiple awards including a $274,358 Performance Partnership Grant (CFDA 66.605) for water quality monitoring and nonpoint source pollution reduction, and a $950,680 Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Cooperative Agreement (CFDA 66.920) for a zero-waste facility construction and operations project running through June 2027.

Trinidad Rancheria also receives federal support for justice system development, cultural preservation, and victim services. The Bureau of Justice Assistance has funded a $900 thousand Tribal Justice Assistance Program award (CFDA 16.596) for tribal court jurisdiction expansion and integration of peacemaking practices, a $700 thousand Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program award (CFDA 16.585) for a pre-prosecution Tribal Healing to Wellness Court, and two grants under the Tribal Youth Program and related initiatives. The Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime funds victim services under the Tribal Victims Services Setaside (TVSSA) program. The National Park Service issues Historic Preservation Fund Grants-in-Aid (CFDA 15.904) to support the tribe's Tribal Historic Preservation Office work across eight program areas under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Six awards complete within the next twenty-four months and face recompete exposure. As a tribal government, Trinidad Rancheria administers federal funds directly to support core community functions and operates without prime contractors or notable subcontractor relationships, except for a single grant sub-award in July 2024 to National Main Street Center Inc. for planning activities to increase the tribe's federal grant management capacity.