Vermont Legal Aid, Inc.

Vermont Legal Aid, Inc., a tax-exempt nonprofit headquartered in Burlington, Vermont, operates as a federal grant recipient delivering legal services and advocacy programs to low-income and vulnerable populations across three principal service domains: fair housing enforcement and education, low-income taxpayer representation, and client advocacy for individuals with disabilities navigating vocational rehabilitation. The organization receives funding as a prime grant recipient from the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services, and operates as a subrecipient under state and local prime grantees including the Vermont Agency of Human Services, the Vermont Center for Crime Victims, and Disability Rights Vermont.

Vermont Legal Aid's federal footprint spans 90 awards (66% prime, 34% subrecipient role) generating $16.1 million in combined obligated dollars across thirteen distinct federal customer agencies. The organization demonstrates strong concentration in three principal grant programs. The Internal Revenue Service Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) program (CFDA unspecified in source) represents the largest award cluster by volume, with 24 awards spanning multiple grant cycles; recent LITC awards cover the period January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025 and provide tax representation, educational activities, and advocacy for low-income taxpayers with incomes not exceeding 250 percent of federal poverty guidelines. The Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Client Assistance Program (CFDA 84.161) accounts for 21 awards, including formula grants providing ongoing services to assist individuals with disabilities in accessing vocational rehabilitation and independent living services, with most recent awards running through September 30, 2026. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's fair housing programs (CFDA 14.418, Private Enforcement Initiatives, and CFDA 14.417, Fair Housing Organization Initiatives) carry 13 awards funding investigation, enforcement, and education activities addressing Title VIII Civil Rights Act violations; the current performance period spans April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027, with a $425,000 project grant for private enforcement and a $125,000 grant for fair housing education.

Vermont Legal Aid's remaining customer concentration includes the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living (16 awards combined), which funds long-term care ombudsman operations and disability-rights advocacy work conducted through subrecipient relationships. The organization's subrecipient activity, representing one-third of the award portfolio, flows primarily through the Vermont Agency of Human Services (funding long-term care ombudsman operations and DULCE legal aid grants), the Vermont Center for Crime Victims (VOCA funding), and Disability Rights Vermont (funding for developmental disability advocacy, traumatic brain injury services, and assistive technology assistance). Activity has accelerated in recent years—from two awards in 2022 to 15 in 2024—though 2025 and 2026 show moderation to nine and seven awards respectively. Only three awards face ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four-month window, indicating stable recompete exposure. The organization does not hold federal contracts or sit on GWACs or agency-wide IDIQs; its federal footprint is grant-funded exclusively, with no commercial contract vehicles in evidence.