Donate to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

The Petitioners of Justice are donors who have chosen to make a sustaining monthly gift to TRLA. Recurring gifts are a reliable source of funding for legal aid that isn’t prone to sudden shifts like government or grant funding can be. In short, Petitioners of Justice help keep the fight for justice going through thick and thin!

As a valued member of our recurring donor family, you will receive special benefits including an annual client impact story, an annual 20% discount on your order at the TRLA merchandise store at trla.me/store, a special lapel pin, and the knowledge that you’re promoting long-term access to justice for people in need.

To join, simply go to our online donation form at the top of this page, input your gift amount, and select “monthly.”

We’ll send you a welcome packet in the mail once we receive your gift!

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact us at donations@trla.org or 512-374-2730 (Hailey Hollowell, Individual Giving Coordinator).

Visit trla.org/donate (or scroll to the top of this page) to donate through our online plug-in. You can select a one-time donation or monthly donation. You can also provide additional information like if your gift is in honor or in memory of someone else, or if you would like to donate anonymously.

You can pay using a credit card, debit card, or an electronic funds transfer directly from your bank.

If you have any questions, please contact us at donations@trla.org or 512-374-2730 (Hailey Hollowell, Individual Giving Coordinator).

If you would like to make an EFT gift online, you can do so by using our regular donation plug in at trla.org/donate (at the top of this page) and select “Bank Account” as your payment method.

If you prefer to make the transaction directly through your bank or require an invoice, please contact us at donations@trla.org or 512-374-2730 (Hailey Hollowell, Individual Giving Coordinator).

Please mail any physical donations, including cash, checks, donor-advised funds, and so on to our Austin office:

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Attn: Donations

4920 N. I-35, Austin, TX 78751

If possible, please include a notation in your envelope that the enclosed cash/check is a donation, for example, on the memo line of a check or on a short note.

If you have a donor-advised fund (DAF), you can recommend a gift to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid to support access to justice for thousands of low-income Texans every year.

Simply contact the company that manages your donor-advised fund to find out how to recommend a gift. You will likely be asked for the contact information listed below.

Our contact information

• Full Name: Texas RioGrande Legal Aid Inc.

• EIN (Tax ID Number): 74-1675230

• Mailing Address: 301 S Texas Ave, Mercedes, TX 78570

Relevant IRS guidelines:

• The donor will not receive an income tax charitable deduction when a grant is made to TRLA from a donor-advised fund, since the tax benefit was already received when donating to the DAF.

• A grant from a DAF cannot be used to fulfill a legally enforceable pledge or result in the donor or any related party receiving more than an incidental benefit. Raffle tickets, tickets to special events, auction items, and benefits conferred in connection with the DAF grant are not permitted.

• A donor may still support an organization through a DAF gift if the donor declines all benefits that would have otherwise been provided as a result of the gift. For more information about IRS guidelines, please see the IRS Donor-Advised Funds Guide Sheet Explanation. To inquire about your personal legal or tax situation, please consult your own professional advisor.

If you have any questions, please contact us at donations@trla.org or 512-374-2730 (Hailey Hollowell, Individual Giving Coordinator).

Many workplaces allow employees to make a charitable contribution that comes directly out of your paycheck. Some workplaces also offer matching gifts for charitable contributions.

Contact your HR department to see if your workplace has a charitable giving program. They may ask for our contact information, listed below.

Our contact information:

• Full Name: Texas RioGrande Legal Aid Inc.

  • EIN (Tax ID Number): 74-1675230

    • Mailing Address: 301 S Texas Ave, Mercedes, TX 78570

      • Mission: TRLA’s mission is to provide exceptional legal advice and representation to impoverished people.

State & Local Government Employees

• You can donate to TRLA using our charity code of 479010 for the Texas State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) or through your local government campaign if you are located in our service area. See trla.org/offices for the list of counties we serve.

  • For more information, please visit the official SECC website at secctexas.org/how-give OR contact your local government employer to see if they have a workplace giving campaign.

If you have any questions, please contact us at donations@trla.org or 512-374-2730 (Hailey Hollowell, Individual Giving Coordinator).

Did you know that you can create a Facebook fundraiser for your friends and family? Here’s how!

On a desktop: Log in to your account. Then go to the search bar in the upper left corner and search “fundraisers.” Alternatively, go to facebook.com/fundraisers. Then click “select nonprofit” and search and select“Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.” Facebook will guide you through the next steps. 

On mobile: go to the search bar and search “Fundraisers.” Before you finish typing, the option should come up with an icon of a yellow circle with a red heart in the middle. Click “Fundraisers” and then click “Raise money.” On the page to choose your nonprofit, search and select “Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.”

Need talking points?

• Put simply, TRLA offers 100% free legal help to people in need who can’t afford a lawyer in Central and South Texas. Often, our clients are facing life-altering legal problems that affect their housing, access to necessities like food or healthcare, their employment, or even their physical safety. When they get legal help, they have a chance at the justice they deserve.

Starting at 70 ½ or older, you can make a difference through a tax-saving opportunity to support Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.

You can use your Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), up to $108,000 per person in 2025. And if you’re 73 or older, you can take your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) to support TRLA’s ongoing work.

Why Consider This Gift?

• By making a gift to TRLA through your IRA, you pay no income tax nor generate any income. So you’ll benefit even if you don’t itemize.

• Impact on Required Minimum Distribution (RMD): If you are 73 or older, your gift may count towards your RMD for the year in which your check is issued, and is excluded from your taxable income.

• Possible Financial Planning Benefits: By making an IRA distribution to a charity, it won’t count as income, and it could lower your Medicare premiums and decrease the amount of Social Security subject to taxation.

• No matter your age, you can always designate Texas RioGrande Legal Aid as a partial or full beneficiary of your IRA or other retirement accounts.

• Please contact your financial advisor for advice on your specific financial situation.

To arrange a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) or RMD from your IRA, follow these 3 easy steps:

• Contact the financial institution where your IRA is held and instruct them to send all or a portion of your Required Minimum Distribution to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid Inc, EIN/tax ID #74-1675230.

• Ask that they send the check directly to TRLA: 301 S Texas Ave, Mercedes, TX 78570, EIN/tax ID #74-1675230. It only counts as a QCD or RMD if the check goes from the financial institution directly to a charity.

• Let us know so we can properly acknowledge your gift. Email donations@trla.org, or call 512-374-2730 (Hailey Hollowell, Individual Giving Coordinator).

One of the simplest ways you can benefit Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) is by making a bequest in your will or trust at your death. A bequest can be a gift of a specific sum of money, a percentage of your estate, or a specific asset you wish to leave to TRLA.

Sample bequest language: “I give to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc., a private, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization (EIN/ tax ID: 74-1675230) currently headquartered at 301 S. Texas Ave, Mercedes, TX, 78570, the sum of $_____ (or all or a __% of my residuary estate) for the unrestricted use and purposes of the organization.”

If you already have a will or a revocable trust, you can provide for TRLA by making a codicil to your will or an amendment to your revocable trust. A bequest to TRLA may help reduce estate taxes. We encourage you to seek the advice of an estate planning attorney and/or accountant to discuss any potential tax implications.

If you have any questions, please contact us at donations@trla.org or 512-374-2730 (Hailey Hollowell, Individual Giving Coordinator).

Please contact us at donations@trla.org or 512-374-2730 (Hailey Hollowell, Individual Giving Coordinator) if you are interested in donating stocks to TRLA.

If you are involved in a class action case and are unable to distribute all the funds, consider designating Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) as a cy pres recipient.  TRLA is a great candidate for fulfilling a case's charitable objective and TRLA is favorably considered by the courts to be an excellent choice for cy pres awards.   By designating TRLA, you ensure that the funds will be used as intended and significantly help fund vital civil legal services in Texas and beyond.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) provides access to justice to indigent Texas residents in myriad case types - including, but not limited to, consumer rights, employment law claims, or antitrust issues. Cy pres funds remain after members do not claim their portion or when the amount of damages to each member is too small to warrant a distribution. The Fifth Circuit requires that residual funds be distributed to the next best use where the recipients reasonably approximate the interests of the class.

For more information on designating TRLA to receive such funds, please contact our Director of Strategic Initiatives, Hannah Allison at cypres@trla.org.

A special thank you to the firms/attorneys who have designated TRLA to receive cy pres funds in the past.

Benjamin Bingham

Cary Flitter

James Shedden

J Hampton Skelton

Steve Gardner

Law Office of James McMillen

Lawrence W. Schad

Manuel Newburger

Matthew Probus

Richard Tomlinson

Schad, Diamond, & Shedden, P.C.

Scott Vogelmeier

Steven J. Tomiello

Susan and Larry Zinn