Texas Riogrande Legal Aid, Inc.

Texas Riogrande Legal Aid, Inc. (doing business as TRLA) is a tax-exempt nonprofit legal services organization based in Mercedes, Texas, that receives federal grant funding as a prime recipient to deliver legal representation, advocacy, and education to low-income, underserved, and vulnerable populations across Texas. TRLA operates across 89% of its recent federal awards as a prime grant recipient, with a remaining 11% as a sub-recipient under larger legal-services and social-services grant vehicles.

TRLA's federal customer base concentrates heavily in the Department of the Treasury's Internal Revenue Service (26 awards), which funds the Low Income Taxpayer Clinics program (CFDA 21.008) for representation of low-income taxpayers in IRS controversies, tax education, and advocacy for taxpayers with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty guideline. The Department of Housing and Urban Development follows with 14 combined awards from the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development and the Assistant Secretary for Housing Federal Housing Commissioner, funding fair housing enforcement and tenant advocacy initiatives including the Austin Tenants Council Project and fair housing testing under CFDA 14.418. The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs contributes nine awards split between the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Office for Victims of Crime, funding legal assistance for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and crime through the Legal Assistance for Victims program (authorized under 34 U.S.C. 20121) and related victim-advocacy initiatives. These three customer sets account for 78% of TRLA's recent award count across thirteen distinct federal agencies.

Recent representative grant work includes a $425,000 project grant from HUD's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (award effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027) supporting fair housing testing and enforcement of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act in Mercedes, Texas; a $500,000 project grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans Health Administration (October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027) for comprehensive legal services to homeless and at-risk veterans across multiple practice domains including housing, family law, criminal defense, and military discharge upgrades, with a required 10% allocation to women veterans; and a $110,060 project grant from the IRS's Low Income Taxpayer Clinics program (January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026) for tax representation and education to low-income taxpayers and those with limited English proficiency. TRLA also serves as a sub-recipient under Montana Legal Services Association for Native American legal services in 68 counties of Southwest Texas, primarily supporting Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas members in Indian Child Welfare Act cases, tribal court development, and tribal code establishment for close to 40 years, and participates as a sub-recipient in Equal Justice Works' Crime Victims Advocacy Program hosting legal fellows for civil legal assistance to crime victims in underserved Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.

The source reflects a combined $11.6 million obligated across 63 awards since 2006, with activity averaging three to six awards annually over the past five years. Five awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating recompete opportunity in that window. TRLA's grant portfolio carries no federal contract vehicles or contract prime awards; federal funding flows exclusively through direct grant mechanisms and sub-grant participation.