Texas Nonprofit Resource Guide

24/7 helpline (1-800-272-3900), care consultations, support groups in every TX metro (Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Lubbock, Amarillo, Tyler, Waco, Corpus Christi, McAllen, Laredo) and rural communities statewide, early-stage programming, caregiver education, Walk to End Alzheimer's events across TX, and research advocacy. Texas's enormous and fast-growing older adult population — projected to be the second-largest state population over 65 by 2030 — drives enormous Alzheimer's demand. TX's large Hispanic population (40%+ of TX residents) faces a higher Alzheimer's risk due to elevated vascular risk factors. TX's Rio Grande Valley communities have extremely high rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease — major Alzheimer's risk factors — in predominantly Hispanic communities. The Alzheimer's Association TX chapters have extensive Spanish-language programming.

UT Southwestern Medical Center's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) — designated and funded by the National Institute on Aging — is one of the most distinguished Alzheimer's research programs in the nation. UT Southwestern neuroscience faculty have made landmark contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Dr. Marc Diamond's laboratory at UT Southwestern discovered that tau protein spreads through the brain in a prion-like manner — a breakthrough that transformed understanding of Alzheimer's and other tauopathies and is guiding novel therapy development. UT Southwestern's O'Donnell Brain Institute (opened 2017, funded by a transformative $36 million gift from Peter O'Donnell Jr.) is one of the most state-of-the-art neuroscience research facilities in the United States — housing 50+ neuroscience labs. UT Southwestern's memory disorder clinic provides expert cognitive evaluations, Alzheimer's diagnosis, and dementia care for DFW and North TX patients.

TX HHS (formerly DADS) coordinates the TX State Plan on Alzheimer's Disease, caregiver education grants, the TX Silver Alert notification system for missing persons with dementia, and dementia service connections through the 28 AAA planning regions. TX HHS funds Medicaid home- and community-based services for seniors with dementia — including the STAR+PLUS managed care program — critical for TX's large, dispersed rural population with few local dementia care resources.

Baylor College of Medicine's neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's research programs — affiliated with the world-class Texas Medical Center in Houston — conduct leading research on Alzheimer's biology, tau pathology, synaptic dysfunction, and novel treatment targets. Baylor's memory clinic provides comprehensive dementia evaluation and care coordination for Houston-area patients. The Texas Medical Center — the world's largest medical complex with 60+ institutions, 106,000+ employees, and 10+ million patient encounters annually — provides the institutional backbone for Houston's extraordinary dementia and neuroscience research enterprise.

24/7 helpline, care navigator program, support groups in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Lubbock, and Amarillo, exercise programs (Rock Steady Boxing at 50+ TX locations, PWR!Moves), and caregiver resources. TX's Parkinson's care is anchored by UT Southwestern's movement disorders program (Dallas), Baylor College of Medicine / Houston Methodist (Houston), UT Health San Antonio (San Antonio), and Dell Medical School (Austin).

UT Southwestern's Movement Disorders Center — part of the O'Donnell Brain Institute — is one of the nation's most distinguished academic Parkinson's programs. UTSW performs among the highest volumes of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgeries in the country. UTSW's movement disorder neurologists have expertise in all parkinsonian syndromes and in genetic Parkinson's. UTSW's DBS program offers both subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus DBS for Parkinson's, as well as DBS for essential tremor and dystonia. UTSW's movement disorders clinical trials program participates in the Parkinson's Foundation Centers of Excellence network.

Baylor College of Medicine and Houston Methodist Hospital's Parkinson's program is one of the South's most recognized academic movement disorder centers — providing comprehensive Parkinson's evaluations, DBS surgery (one of the nation's highest-volume DBS programs), medication management, focused ultrasound treatment for essential tremor, and clinical trials. The Parkinson's Foundation designated the BCM/Houston Methodist program as a Center of Excellence. BCM's basic science research on alpha-synuclein, neuroinflammation, and neuroprotection contributes to national Parkinson's research progress.

APDA provides patient and caregiver support, educational programming, social worker consultations, exercise resources, and research funding. APDA TX connects patients to UT Southwestern, Baylor/Houston Methodist, UT Health San Antonio, and other TX movement disorder programs.

Equipment loans (wheelchairs, communication devices, hospital beds, ramps), care coordination, support groups in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, and Lubbock, caregiver support, clinic liaison, and research advocacy. TX's ALS care is primarily anchored by UT Southwestern's neuromuscular disease clinic (Dallas) — one of the nation's most active ALS research centers — and by Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

UT Southwestern's ALS Clinic and Neuromuscular Disease Center is one of the nation's most distinguished academic ALS programs. UTSW's ALS research — led by faculty who have made landmark contributions to understanding ALS genetics and disease mechanisms — participates in multiple national and international ALS clinical trials. UTSW's multidisciplinary ALS clinic provides neurology, pulmonology, physical/occupational/speech therapy, nutrition, and social work in coordinated visits. UTSW's neuromuscular faculty have contributed significantly to understanding SOD1, TDP-43, FUS, C9orf72, and other ALS gene mutations. Telehealth ALS clinic visits are available statewide — critical for TX's enormous rural population far from Dallas.

Baylor College of Medicine's ALS research team — operating within the world's largest medical complex — conducts neuromuscular disease research and provides ALS care for Houston-area patients. BCM's neuromuscular disease clinic coordinates with the ALS Association Lone Star Chapter and with the Texas Medical Center's vast clinical resources for ALS patients in Houston, the Gulf Coast, and South Texas.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is widely considered the greatest cancer center in the world — it has ranked #1 or #2 in the US News & World Report Best Hospitals for Cancer specialty rankings for decades. Founded in 1941 by Texas Governor W. Lee 'Pappy' O'Daniel (who designated it as a comprehensive cancer center in the same legislation that created the UT System Cancer Centers), MD Anderson has become a global icon of cancer care and research. MD Anderson's research program is the world's most productive cancer research enterprise — with over 1,000 active clinical trials at any given time, over 5,000 peer-reviewed publications per year, and more than $600 million in annual research funding. MD Anderson has been central to developing modern cancer therapy: it pioneered total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer, advanced multidisciplinary melanoma care, developed globally used protocols for leukemia and lymphoma treatment, and has led targeted therapy and immunotherapy research across dozens of tumor types. MD Anderson's Moon Shots Program — launched in 2012 — is an ambitious initiative to dramatically accelerate the conversion of cancer research discoveries into clinical breakthroughs, focusing on specific cancer types where the science is most promising. MD Anderson treats approximately 150,000 patients per year from all 50 states and 130+ countries. Texas Cancer Information: (800) 383-0433.

UT Southwestern's Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of only ~50 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation — the highest designation level. Named for Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons (whose family gave $150 million, one of the largest cancer center philanthropic gifts in history), SIMMONS is one of the nation's most productive cancer research programs. UTSW cancer researchers have made nationally recognized contributions to cancer biology, immunotherapy, and precision oncology. UTSW's Children's Medical Center Dallas — one of the nation's top pediatric hospitals — provides pediatric oncology care as part of the UT Southwestern academic system. SIMMONS participates in NCI cooperative group trials and the NCI Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN).

The Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio is the only NCI-designated cancer center in South Texas — serving the most medically underserved cancer population in the state, including the Rio Grande Valley's predominantly Hispanic communities with elevated cancer disparities. Mays Cancer Center's research has a particular focus on cancer health disparities — why Hispanic Texans experience higher rates of cervical, liver, gallbladder, and certain leukemias, and lower-than-average rates of other cancers. Mays is located adjacent to San Antonio's vast military medical complex (Brooke Army Medical Center) — providing research partnerships with military medicine for cancer in veterans. Mays' community outreach extends to the US-Mexico border region.

Patient navigation, Road to Recovery transportation, Hope Lodge free lodging near MD Anderson Houston and other TX cancer centers, 24/7 helpline, support groups statewide, Relay for Life events across all TX communities, and survivorship programming. The ACS Hope Lodge in Houston — near MD Anderson — provides free lodging for cancer patients from across TX and the nation traveling to the world's top cancer center.

Financial assistance, co-pay support, patient education, clinical trial matching, and peer support for blood cancer patients. LLS TX connects patients to MD Anderson's world-leading leukemia and lymphoma programs — home to some of the world's foremost blood cancer specialists — and to UT Southwestern's hematologic malignancy program.

Free directory of mesothelioma and asbestos-cancer treatment centers, specialists, and clinical trials in Texas; patient advocate support, VA claims assistance for veterans exposed to asbestos, and free informational guides for patients and families.

The American Heart Association's national headquarters is located in Dallas, Texas — making TX the institutional home of the nation's leading heart disease advocacy and research organization. CPR and first aid training, Go Red for Women events statewide, Heart Walk events in every TX metro, cardiovascular research grants, and prevention programs. Texas has elevated cardiovascular disease rates — particularly in South and West TX's predominantly Hispanic communities (where diabetes, hypertension, and obesity drive heart disease) and in deep East TX and the Piney Woods (Stroke Belt extension). The AHA's presence in Dallas ensures TX receives priority attention for cardiovascular health initiatives.

The Texas Heart Institute (THI) is one of the most historically significant cardiovascular research institutions in the world — founded in 1962 by Dr. Denton Cooley, one of the greatest cardiac surgeons in history. THI was the site of the world's first total artificial heart implantation in a human (1969 — Dr. Cooley and Dr. Domingo Liotta's landmark procedure). THI has performed over 135,000 open heart surgeries — more than any other institution in the world. THI's research programs have advanced heart failure treatment, ventricular assist devices (VADs), regenerative medicine (stem cells for heart repair), and cardiac surgery techniques that have been adopted globally. THI remains an active research and clinical institution — conducting clinical trials for heart failure devices, regenerative therapies, and novel cardiac interventions. Dr. Michael DeBakey — at Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital Houston — was THI's contemporary and also performed landmark cardiac surgeries in the same Texas Medical Center complex, including the first successful coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Mended Hearts provides peer-to-peer hospital visits and community support for heart surgery and heart disease patients at TX's major cardiac hospitals — including THI/St. Luke's, Houston Methodist, UT Southwestern, Baylor Scott & White, and other systems.

MS Navigator helpline, educational programs, peer support, assistance programs (financial, equipment, transportation), wellness programming, and advocacy. TX MS patients are primarily served through UT Southwestern's MS center in Dallas, Baylor College of Medicine / Houston Methodist's MS program in Houston, and UT Health San Antonio's neurology.

UT Southwestern's MS and Neuroimmunology Program is one of the nation's recognized academic MS centers — providing comprehensive MS evaluations, infusion therapies, disease-modifying treatment management, clinical trials, and management of MS mimics including NMOSD and MOGAD. UTSW's neuroimmunology faculty have conducted significant research on MS mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets. Telehealth MS care is available statewide — essential for TX's large rural and border-region population far from Dallas.

Diabetes education, peer support, advocacy, nutrition resources, research funding, and community health events. Texas has one of the nation's highest diabetes burdens — driven by the state's large Hispanic population (TX Hispanics have among the nation's highest T2D rates), the Rio Grande Valley's extreme diabetes prevalence (often 15-20%+ of adults in the poorest counties), and high rates of obesity across all populations. TX's diabetes crisis is concentrated in the colonias and rural communities of the Lower Rio Grande Valley — where poverty, food deserts, limited healthcare access, and cultural factors combine to produce devastating diabetes outcomes. TX's diabetes-related amputations and kidney failure rates are among the highest in the nation.

UT Southwestern's Touchstone Diabetes Center is one of the nation's most distinguished academic diabetes research and clinical programs. UTSW Nobel Laureate Dr. Johann Deisenhofer contributed to understanding protein crystallography foundational to enzyme structure, but UTSW's diabetes research is led by endocrinologists and metabolic scientists who have made nationally recognized contributions to understanding insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes genetics, and metabolic syndrome. UTSW's endocrinology faculty provide comprehensive T1D and T2D management, advanced insulin pump and CGM technology, obesity medicine, and clinical trials. Telehealth diabetes care reaches TX's vast rural population — including the Permian Basin, Panhandle, and Far West TX communities that lack local endocrinologists.

The Texas Diabetes Institute (TDI) at UT Health San Antonio is one of the most important diabetes research and clinical care institutions in the nation for Hispanic diabetes. TDI conducts landmark epidemiological and clinical research on diabetes in SA's predominantly Hispanic population — the San Antonio Heart Study and San Antonio Family Heart Study are among the most cited long-term cardiovascular and diabetes cohort studies in America. TDI's research on insulin resistance, Hispanic diabetes epidemiology, and gestational diabetes has been foundational to understanding T2D in the nation's fastest-growing demographic. TDI provides specialty diabetes care for SA's low-income and uninsured patients. The UTHSA diabetes research consortium — including the Barshop Institute for Longevity & Aging Research — makes San Antonio one of the most important diabetes research cities in the world.

Type 1 diabetes advocacy, One Walk events across TX, peer support, and T1D research funding. JDRF TX connects T1D families to UT Southwestern's Touchstone Diabetes Center, BCM/Houston Methodist, and UT Health San Antonio's diabetes programs.

Texas Children's Hospital — affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine — is the world's largest children's hospital by patient volume and one of America's most consistently top-ranked pediatric institutions. Texas Children's Hospital's rare disease programs include one of the nation's most active pediatric clinical genetics programs, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (one of the world's premier pediatric neurological rare disease research centers), and comprehensive programs for metabolic diseases, lysosomal storage disorders, primary immunodeficiencies, and rare cancers. Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center (HGSC) — one of the original four centers in the Human Genome Project and still among the world's most active genomics centers — provides cutting-edge genomic sequencing for rare disease diagnosis. The HGSC's Undiagnosed Diseases Network site at BCM is one of the most active in the nation.

UT Southwestern's clinical genetics and genomics programs — including participation in the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Network — provide comprehensive rare disease evaluation, whole genome/exome sequencing, genetic counseling, metabolic disease management, and experimental treatment access for TX patients with rare or undiagnosed conditions. UTSW's genetics faculty have made nationally recognized contributions to identifying novel genetic syndromes and to translating genomic discoveries into clinical diagnosis.

CF Foundation accredited care for TX patients. Texas Children's Hospital / BCM's CF Care Center and Children's Medical Center Dallas / UT Southwestern's CF program are TX's primary pediatric CF centers. CF adult programs operate at BCM, UTSW, and other TX academic centers. TX's large Hispanic population has a lower CFTR mutation frequency than non-Hispanic white populations, but when CF occurs in Hispanic TX families, cultural and linguistic barriers to care make CF Foundation support especially important.

MDA Care Center coordination, equipment loans, summer camp, and advocacy for TX individuals with muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular diseases. MDA Care Centers at Texas Children's/BCM, UTSW/Children's Medical Center, and UT Health San Antonio provide comprehensive pediatric and adult neuromuscular disease care.

The Texas-Mexico border region presents unique neurological and rare disease challenges — limited specialist access, cultural and linguistic barriers, high rates of uninsured patients, and elevated rates of diseases linked to poverty and environmental exposures. Key resources include: UTRGV School of Medicine (McAllen/Harlingen — TX's newest medical school, specifically founded to address RGV health disparities); El Paso's UT Health El Paso / Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center; and Laredo's TAMIU. The UTRGV School of Medicine — established in 2016 — is training the next generation of physicians to serve the most medically underserved region of the United States.

NAMI Helpline, NAMI Family Support Group, NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group, Family-to-Family and Peer-to-Peer education, and advocacy. NAMI Texas has been a persistent advocate for improved TX mental health funding — Texas historically ranks among the bottom states in per-capita mental health spending, driving severe shortages of psychiatric beds, community mental health workers, and crisis services. NAMI TX's advocacy has been instrumental in pushing for mental health funding increases in the Texas Legislature.

TX HHSC funds 39 Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHAs) and Local Behavioral Health Authorities (LBHAs) that provide community mental health services, crisis stabilization, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for TX, and psychiatric emergency care across all 254 counties. TX operates two primary state psychiatric hospitals — Austin State Hospital and Rusk State Hospital. TX also funds a network of inpatient psychiatric units. Texas's mental health crisis is profound: the state has among the nation's highest rates of untreated serious mental illness, driven by funding shortfalls, geographic barriers, and stigma — particularly in rural TX communities and in the border region.

The Menninger Clinic is one of the nation's most distinguished psychiatric hospitals — founded in 1919 in Topeka, Kansas and relocated to Houston in 2003. Menninger is consistently ranked among the nation's top psychiatric hospitals. Menninger's specialty programs include treatment-resistant depression, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, trauma and PTSD, co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders, and eating disorders. Menninger is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Medical Center — giving its patients access to Houston's vast research ecosystem. Menninger's partial hospitalization and residential programs serve patients from across the nation and are among the most respected in American psychiatry.

Mental Health America of Greater Houston provides mental health education, peer support, advocacy, and community programs across Harris County and the greater Houston metro. Harris County's population of 4.7 million — the third-largest county in America — has enormous mental health service needs. MHA Houston coordinates with the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (Harris County's LMHA — one of the nation's largest community mental health authorities) and with Houston's vast nonprofit ecosystem.

TX HHSC funds substance use treatment, opioid treatment programs (OTPs), MAT expansion, and recovery support statewide through LMHAs and licensed providers. Texas faces a severe substance use crisis — opioid overdose deaths have risen dramatically, methamphetamine use has surged (particularly in rural TX communities and the Rio Grande Valley), and alcohol use disorder is highly prevalent across the state. TX's vast geography creates enormous barriers to treatment — many rural TX counties have no licensed substance use treatment providers.

Texas Health Action operates the Kind Clinic network — providing sexual health, substance use harm reduction, PrEP for HIV prevention, and integrated behavioral health for LGBTQ+ Texans and others. Kind Clinic's harm reduction model provides naloxone distribution, substance use counseling, and buprenorphine prescribing alongside sexual health care — an innovative integrated care model. TX's LGBTQ+ community faces compounded substance use vulnerabilities driven by minority stress.

AA TX intergroups coordinate meetings across all 254 TX counties — from Houston's sprawling urban neighborhoods and Dallas's diverse suburbs to Permian Basin oil towns, Rio Grande Valley colonias, Far West TX ranch communities, and Panhandle wheat-farming communities. TX's enormous geography means AA's rural meeting network is critical for isolated Texans in recovery.

TX's National Family Caregiver Support Program provides caregiver counseling, training, support groups, temporary respite, and supplemental services through the 28 AAA planning region network statewide. Contact your regional AAA or dial TX HHS (512-438-3011) to access caregiver support in any TX county. TX's enormous rural geography means AAA outreach workers sometimes travel hundreds of miles to reach isolated rural caregivers.

AARP Texas provides caregiver resources, AARP Family Caregiving app, legal advocacy, and volunteer programs. AARP TX has been active in TX long-term care policy — advocating for improved nursing home staffing standards, Medicaid home care funding expansion, and older adult economic security in a rapidly aging state. AARP TX's legislative advocacy in Austin has focused on caregiver workplace protections and elder financial exploitation prevention.

Meals on Wheels Central Texas is one of the nation's most recognized and most active local Meals on Wheels programs — delivering over 5,000 meals daily to homebound older adults and disabled Austinites. MOW Central Texas has been a national advocate for senior nutrition funding. Austin's rapid growth and gentrification have increasingly pushed low-income seniors and disabled residents to peripheral neighborhoods — MOW Central TX's expanded route network addresses this challenge.

TX's Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for residents of nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and adult foster care homes — investigating complaints and educating residents and families about rights. TX has over 1,200 nursing facilities — one of the largest nursing home sectors in the nation — and the ombudsman program is a critical quality oversight resource.

TVC provides free VA claims assistance through county VSOs statewide, TX state veterans benefits, the TX Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans' Assistance (FVA — grants to veteran-serving nonprofits), the TX Hazlewood Act (free college tuition for TX veterans and dependents — one of the nation's most generous state veterans education benefits), and oversight of TX State Veterans Homes (eight homes in Amarillo, Big Spring, Bonham, El Paso, Floresville, McAllen, Temple, and Tyler). Texas has more veterans than any other state — approximately 1.5 million veterans (over 10% of the nation's total), reflecting TX's large population and its enormous military base network.

The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston — named for the legendary cardiac surgeon who performed cardiac procedures at the adjacent Baylor/Methodist complex — is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and is one of the most important VA-academic medical partnerships in the nation. DeBakey VAMC is one of the nation's largest VA medical centers, providing comprehensive care for Houston's enormous veteran population. DeBakey VA's cardiac, oncology, and neurology programs benefit from proximity to the Texas Medical Center — the world's largest medical complex. DeBakey VA's Mental Health program is robust, serving Houston's large veteran community including many Vietnam-era, Gulf War, and OIF/OEF veterans. DeBakey VA is also affiliated with MD Anderson and Texas Children's Hospital through the Texas Medical Center.

The South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio is one of the nation's largest VA systems — serving the enormous veteran population from Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), the largest joint military installation in the United States (Fort Sam Houston, Randolph AFB, Lackland AFB). STVHCS is affiliated with UT Health San Antonio — giving SA veterans access to the Mays Cancer Center, Texas Diabetes Institute, and UTHSA's clinical research programs. STVHCS's location adjacent to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC/SAMMC — the nation's busiest military trauma center) enables close collaboration between military and veteran medicine. SA's massive military population makes STVHCS one of the VA's most critical facilities.

VA North Texas Health Care System is affiliated with UT Southwestern Medical Center — one of the nation's most distinguished VA-academic partnerships. VA North Texas gives DFW veterans access to UTSW's world-class O'Donnell Brain Institute, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and movement disorders and ALS clinics through the VA system. VA North Texas serves the enormous veteran population of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex — the nation's fourth-largest metro area.

DAV provides free VA claims assistance, transportation to VA appointments (DAV Voluntary Service Driver program), advocacy, and peer support for disabled TX veterans statewide. TX's 1.5 million veterans make DAV Texas one of the nation's largest state DAV departments.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston coordinates Jewish community services, Israel humanitarian aid, Jewish education, Holocaust remembrance, and community events across the Houston metro. Houston's Jewish community — estimated at 50,000+ — is concentrated in Memorial, Meyerland (historically the heart of Houston's Jewish community — Meyerland's low-lying geography made it catastrophically vulnerable to Harvey flooding in 2017), and Bellaire. The Federation funds Jewish Family Service of Houston — providing counseling, emergency assistance, Holocaust survivor support (financial assistance and home care for aging survivors), refugee resettlement, and disability services.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas coordinates Jewish community services, Israel aid, Jewish education, and events for Dallas's Jewish community — concentrated in North Dallas, Plano, and the Park Cities. The Federation funds Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas — providing counseling, emergency assistance, Holocaust survivor support, and disability services for the DFW Jewish community.

The Jewish Federation of San Antonio coordinates Jewish community services, education, Israel aid, and community events for SA's Jewish community. Jewish Family Service San Antonio provides counseling, elder care assistance, Holocaust survivor support, and emergency assistance for SA area residents regardless of faith.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Antonio is one of TX's most important social service agencies — providing refugee resettlement (San Antonio is one of the nation's largest refugee resettlement cities), immigration legal services, emergency assistance, food pantry, mental health counseling, housing assistance, senior services, and disability programs. Texas has the nation's largest concentration of Catholic dioceses — seven dioceses and two archdioceses — reflecting TX's history as a Spanish colonial and then Mexican territory. Catholic Charities across TX collectively form one of the largest social service networks in the state. The Archdiocese of San Antonio's deep roots in the Spanish mission heritage of San Antonio (the five historic missions, including the Alamo) make it one of the most historically significant Catholic social service providers in America. Open to all regardless of faith.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston provides refugee resettlement (Houston is one of the nation's largest refugee resettlement cities), emergency assistance, food pantry, mental health counseling, immigration legal services, and housing assistance. Houston's enormous Catholic population — over 1.5 million Catholics in the Archdiocese — makes this one of the largest Catholic charitable operations in America. Open to all regardless of faith.

Catholic Charities Dallas provides refugee resettlement, immigration services, emergency assistance, mental health counseling, senior services, and disability programs for the DFW Catholic community and all residents regardless of faith.

Lutheran Social Services of the South — headquartered in Austin — is one of the Southeast and South-Central region's largest Lutheran social service organizations, providing refugee resettlement (TX is the nation's top refugee resettlement state — Houston and Dallas are among America's largest resettlement cities), foster care, adoption, community programs, and disaster relief across TX and the South. LSSS resettles refugees from Afghanistan, Ukraine, DRC, Myanmar, Eritrea, Syria, and many other countries into TX communities. LSSS's Texas refugee programs include employment placement, English classes, healthcare navigation, and community integration support. LSSS also operates programs for people with intellectual disabilities in TX. Open to all regardless of religion.

ELCA TX Synod congregations coordinate food pantries, emergency assistance, refugee welcome programs, and community social ministry across TX. Texas has historic German Lutheran immigrant heritage — German immigrants settled heavily in the Texas Hill Country (New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, Seguin, Kerrville) in the 1840s-1880s, establishing deeply rooted Lutheran communities that persist today. The Texas Hill Country German Lutheran communities are among the most historically significant in the American South.

Emergency food, clothing, and utility assistance; disaster relief; homeless shelter; substance use rehabilitation (ARC); after-school programs; and holiday programs. Salvation Army TX is one of the nation's most active disaster relief providers — TX's Gulf Coast location, susceptibility to hurricanes (Alicia 1983; Rita 2005; Ike 2008; Harvey 2017 — the costliest hurricane disaster in US history at $125B+; Imelda 2019; Nicholas 2021; Beryl 2024), tornadoes, and winter storms (Winter Storm Uri 2021 — catastrophic TX power grid failure killing hundreds) makes disaster readiness essential.

Texas Baptist Men operates one of the nation's largest and most capable faith-based disaster relief programs — with over 18,000 trained volunteers across TX. TBM's disaster relief teams include mass feeding units (capable of producing 50,000+ meals per day), chainsaw crews, mud-out and clean-up units, generator-equipped shower/laundry trailers, child care units, and health units. TBM has responded to every major TX disaster and deploys nationally and internationally. TBM's disaster feeding operations following Hurricane Harvey (2017) — feeding hundreds of thousands in Houston and Southeast TX — were among the largest non-government food operations in Texas history.

Texas has one of the largest and most diverse Muslim populations in the United States — estimated at 420,000+ TX Muslims from Arab, South Asian, African American, West African, Somali, Afghan, and other backgrounds. Houston's Islamic community is among the nation's largest — the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) operates 26 mosques and provides social services including food distribution, refugee support, and emergency assistance. The Dallas-Fort Worth Islamic Association of North Texas serves the enormous DFW Muslim community. TX's Muslim organizations have provided extensive disaster relief — mobilizing volunteers and donations for Harvey, Uri, and other TX disasters. TX Muslim communities also operate schools, elder care, and mental health programs.

The Houston Food Bank is the largest food bank in the United States by food distributed — distributing over 200 million pounds of food annually through 1,500+ partner agencies across 18 SE Texas counties. Part of the Feeding America national network. Houston Food Bank's scale reflects both Houston's size and its enormous food insecurity challenge — Harris County has one of the nation's highest food insecurity rates among major counties due to its large low-income population, working poor, and immigrant communities. Houston Food Bank's disaster response during Harvey (2017) — distributing food to hundreds of thousands of displaced or flooded families — was one of the largest food relief operations in American history.

The North Texas Food Bank distributes over 100 million pounds of food annually through 200+ partner agencies in 13 North TX counties. Part of the Feeding America network. NTFB's programs reach DFW's diverse communities — including immigrant communities in Carrollton and Irving, food-insecure seniors in South Dallas, and rural communities in Navarro and Henderson counties. NTFB's Hunger Relief programs address child hunger, senior nutrition, and disaster feeding across North TX.

The San Antonio Food Bank distributes over 100 million pounds of food annually through 550+ partner agencies across 16 South and Central TX counties. SAFB is particularly focused on hunger in SA's predominantly Hispanic low-income communities and in the South TX rural communities where poverty and food insecurity rates are among the nation's highest. SAFB's Farm to Food Bank program partners with TX farmers to rescue and distribute fresh produce.

TX 211 (dial 2-1-1) provides free 24/7 referrals to food, housing, health care, elder services, mental health, substance use, and emergency assistance across all 254 TX counties. United Way of Texas funds education, health, and financial stability programs statewide.

Disability Rights Texas is TX's federally mandated Protection & Advocacy (P&A) organization — the nation's largest state P&A organization, reflecting Texas's enormous population. DRTx provides free legal advocacy, investigations, and systems change for Texans with disabilities. DRTx has been active in TX special education advocacy, mental health facility oversight, Medicaid disability rights, accessible voting, and disability discrimination cases. DRTx's border region office in Harlingen addresses the unique legal needs of disabled Texans in the Rio Grande Valley — where poverty, immigration status, and language barriers compound disability-related vulnerabilities.

ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) — housed within Houston's TIRR Memorial Hermann rehabilitation hospital and affiliated with BCM — is the nation's premier research and training center for Centers for Independent Living. ILRU has trained CIL directors and staff from across the nation and internationally, developed curriculum and best practices for the independent living movement, and conducted landmark research on disability outcomes and community participation. TIRR Memorial Hermann is one of the nation's top rehabilitation hospitals — consistently ranked #2 nationally by US News & World Report — and provides the institutional foundation for ILRU's work.

Texas's 22 Centers for Independent Living provide peer support, independent living skills training, benefits counseling, personal assistant (PA) services, assistive technology, and housing advocacy across all TX regions. The Southwest ADA Center at UT Austin is the federally funded regional ADA information center for TX and 7 other states. Texas's CIL network addresses the enormous diversity of TX's disability community — from Medicaid-eligible urban disabled residents to rural ranching families with disabilities to immigrant disabled individuals in the border region.

Texas is the nation's most disaster-affected state by economic losses — Harvey (2017, $125B+), Winter Storm Uri (2021, $195B+), Hurricane Ike (2008, $30B+), and repeated flooding events make disaster preparedness a constant necessity. Key TX disaster resources: TX Division of Emergency Management (TDEM): (512) 424-2208 | dps.texas.gov/dem; TX Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD): txvoad.org; TX Baptist Men Disaster Relief: (972) 226-5657; American Red Cross Texas: 1-800-733-2767; Greater Houston VOAD: ghvoad.org; Hurricane Harvey Long-Term Recovery Network: harveyrecovery.net; TX General Land Office (disaster housing): glo.texas.gov.

The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Research at UT Health San Antonio is one of the nation's most distinguished aging research institutes — conducting internationally recognized research on the biology of aging, caloric restriction, mitochondrial function, and interventions to extend healthy lifespan. Barshop researchers have made landmark contributions to understanding why caloric restriction extends lifespan in model organisms and to identifying rapamycin, acarbose, and other compounds that extend healthy lifespan in mice — research with major implications for Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease prevention. The Barshop Institute's collaborative research with the San Antonio Heart Study and Texas Diabetes Institute makes UT Health San Antonio one of the world's most important aging and metabolic disease research centers.