Selecting grant recipients
The final decisions on which projects and individuals this foundation supports are the result of lengthy consideration. Each beneficiary needs to evidence a clear embodiment of Diana’s legacy: they must be stewards of culture, defenders of biodiversity, advocates for truth in food.
Grant recipients include farmers, researchers, librarians, archivists, indigenous leaders and educators – people doing the often-invisible work of protecting the past to inform a more thoughtful future. Like Diana, they value accuracy over convenience, depth over trend, purpose over popularity.
The foundation believes that investing in such vital work is an act of preservation, justice and love.Grant Recipients
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO (UTSA)
Diana’s extensive collection of rare books, archives and personal papers represents the most significant resource of its kind. It is the result of decades of passionate culinary fieldwork, and Diana continued adding to it until her death. She chose to donate her entire body of work to the Special Collections at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) – specifically, the Mexican Cookbook Collection housed in the John Peace Library.
WHY UTSA?
Diana chose UTSA because of its unmatched Mexican cookbook collection and strong connections to Mexico, along with deep expertise in properly caring for historical materials while making their contents accessible to researchers, chefs and students.
WHAT WAS DONATED?
Before her death, Diana delivered about 600 cookbooks to the university library. The collection included rare 19th‑century texts like the 1828 volume Arte Nuevo de Cocina y Repostería Acomodado al Uso Mexicano. The donation also included Diana’s original handwritten notes, photographs, correspondence, scrapbooks and other research materials. She referred to these affectionately as her babies, emphasizing her intention that they all be preserved and shared responsibly. The Foundation also made a grant to UTSA Special Collections to preserve, digitize and make Diana’s research collections publicly accessible, as well as available to students and scholars.
STRATEGIC GOALS FOR THIS DONATION
UTSA’s stewardship of the Diana Kennedy archives ensures that her decades of ethnographic and culinary research can be protected and shared for generations to come. It aligns perfectly with our mission of continuing Diana’s vision: supporting archival preservation, research access and educational outreach connected to traditional Mexican cuisine.
COMPREHENSIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
For 30+ years, CYD has partnered with New York City public high schools, community organizations and technology companies to close the digital divide disproportionately affecting the city’s Latina students. This work directly benefits many of the most vulnerable immigrants: older youth, asylees, unhoused students and those with special education needs.
WHY CYD?
Latina girls – particularly in low-income communities – often lack access to computers, internet and other essential technologies. Even when technology is available, these young women may lack the skills and knowledge to effectively use it, further widening the digital divide. This leads to disparities in educational outcomes, and can severely limit opportunities for employment and economic advancement. CYD works to provide affordable or free access to computers, internet and other essential technologies for Latina girls and their communities.
WHAT WAS DONATED?
The Foundation’s grant is helping CYD promote careers in technology to young Latina women by supporting a strong, culturally appropriate curriculum. Beyond learning essential skills, students can attend leadership training, meeting with panels and inspirational Latina leaders from a range of industries. The program also provides for translation services as needed.
STRATEGIC GOALS FOR THIS DONATION
Diana Kennedy was a fierce champion of equality and opportunity, particularly for women and children. Whether walking through the heart of Manhattan or a remote Mexican village, she witnessed the same systemic barriers at play. She also firmly believed that as a society, we must find ways to do better. By helping to reshape societal norms and eliminate gender stereotypes, this grant can help Latina girls gain the confidence and skills they need to participate in technology-related activities and fields. This initiative directly benefits individuals, families and entire communities. It also strongly aligns with Diana’s own unwavering vision and values.
RESULTS
RESULTS
RESULTS is a non-partisan advocacy group made up of passionate, committed citizens using their voices to influence political decisions that will help bring an end to poverty. Headquartered in Washington DC, this growing network of volunteers and staff now spans all 50 states. Since the organization’s 1980 launch, they’ve been responsible for 168,000 meetings and phone conversations with U.S. congressional staff. 6,500 face-to-face meetings with members of Congress. And a staggering 16,000+ media pieces published.
WHY RESULTS?
At a time when federal nutrition programs face mounting threats, a groundswell of constituent voices is vital to maintain effective pressure on Congress. Our elected leaders need to stand against cuts that disproportionately harm people already struggling to meet basic needs: women, children, immigrants and refugees. With deep expertise in policy and organizing, RESULTS staff is uniquely positioned to help volunteers become powerful advocates.
Diana Kennedy was herself a tenacious advocate for authentic food and the women who create it. This grant is a fitting way to honor her life and legacy, making it easier for people across the country to speak up and urge decision-makers to strengthen programs that help millions of families put food on the table.
STRATEGIC GOALS FOR THIS DONATION
This group’s advocacy efforts have been historically effective, resulting in over $200 billion dollars directed toward anti-poverty efforts. By growing U.S. funding for global maternal and child health programs, RESULTS has already helped save millions of lives. They’ve helped reduce worldwide rates of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Played a key role in an expansion of the Child Tax Credit, which for a time cut U.S. child poverty nearly in half. And so much more.
Their work is also remarkably efficient: for every dollar of donor support, they’re able to leverage $2,000 of impact toward a world beyond poverty. As The New York Times' David Bornstein put it, “If you’re looking to bolster participatory democracy in the United States today, you’d be hard pressed to find better guidance than the experiences of RESULTS volunteers.”
The Foundation’s vision for this grant is simply to keep building on proven success. RESULTS will continue to recruit, orient, educate, train and empower people in local communities across all 50 states. By pushing for policies that dismantle poverty and inequity in the U.S. and globally, it is possible to achieve transformative change at scale.
“I think Mexico as a country will be eternally indebted to her efforts.”
- PATI JINICH (PATI’S MEXICAN TABLE)