27th Heinz Awards: Heinz Family Foundation Announces $1.5 Million in Awards

From Championing the Employee Ownership Movement and Returning Wealth to Native Communities to Exposing Environmental Threats to Vulnerable Ecosystems, 27th Heinz Awards Recipients Embody Courageous Leadership

PITTSBURGH, September 22, 2022—The Heinz Family Foundation today announced the recipients of the 27th Heinz Awards, which will present unrestricted cash awards totaling $1.5 million to seven Americans for outstanding contributions in the categories of the Arts, the Economy and the Environment. Two awards will be given per category. As part of the accolade, each recipient receives an unrestricted cash prize of $250,000.

Created to honor the memory of the late U.S. Senator John Heinz, the Heinz Awards recognize excellence and achievement in areas of great importance to Senator Heinz. The 27th annual awards bring the total number of recipients to 165 and reflects more than $30 million in awards given since the program was launched in 1993.

Arts

vanessa l. german, Visual Artist and Founder, ARThouse, Pittsburgh, Pa., is a visual and performance artist whose assemblage sculpture, installations, spoken-word poetry and community-based work confront racism, violence, homophobia and hate, while also expressing hope for healing. A visual storyteller with a strong focus on the female form, she builds her sculptures from everyday objects, embellishing them with glass, beading, fabric and other materials and transforming them into power figures that acknowledge collective suffering while also offering affirmation and optimism. Ms. german is also recognized for her work as a citizen artist, most notably in Homewood, a Pittsburgh community acutely affected by disinvestment, where she has established gathering spaces for women, families and children to engage in artmaking and creative expression as a means of coping with trauma and grief.

Cauleen Smith, Visual Artist, Los Angeles, Calif., is an interdisciplinary artist and educator whose experimental films, installations and multimedia works reflect on history and imagine futures of possibility. Operating in multiple materials and arenas, Ms. Smith roots her work firmly within the discourse of mid-20th-century experimental film, pushing boundaries and blending moving images with painting, textiles and more to create immersive experiences. Drawing from structuralism, Third World Cinema and science fiction, Ms. Smith’s work explores the power of community and culture while offering a phenomenological experience for spectators and participants. Ms. Smith is a visiting professor at UCLA Interdisciplinary Studio in the department of Art and Architecture. In 2023, Musical Thinking, her work exploring the powerful resonances between recent video art and popular music, will be exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  

Economy

Hilary A. Abell, Co-Founder, Project Equity, Guerneville, Calif., and Alison Lingane, Co-Founder, Project Equity, Oakland, Calif., are honored for their leadership in the movement to create better jobs and a fairer economy by advancing employee ownership. A positive exit strategy for business owners and a proven approach for increasing employee engagement and well-being, employee ownership benefits workers by increasing job stability, creating quality jobs and wealth-building opportunities and fostering professional growth. Communities benefit from employee ownership through retention of legacy businesses, greater civic engagement on the part of workers and increased dollars circulated into the local economy. Project Equity provides hands-on consulting and support to companies looking to transition to employee ownership, as well as to new employee-owners to ensure that they and their businesses thrive. Ms. Lingane and Ms. Abell also work with city and state governments and federal agencies to advance awareness, uptake and financing.  

Chrystel A. Cornelius, President and CEO, Oweesta Corporation, Longmont, Colo., works to return wealth and financial independence to Native lands and people, addressing centuries of disenfranchisement that have led to profound socioeconomic disparities for Native communities. A member of both the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Ms. Cornelius leads the community development financial institution (CDFI) intermediary Oweesta Corporation, which works to foster sustainable job creation, small business development, commercial real estate development and affordable housing/home ownership in Native communities. Oweesta provides financial products and development services exclusively to Native CDFIs and Native communities to help residents repair their credit, open new businesses and obtain assistance for home down payments. Oweesta also offers culturally appropriate financial literacy training to “underbanked” Native communities that have been historically targeted by predatory lending practices.

Environment

Rhett Ayers Butler, Founder and CEO, Mongabay.org, Menlo Park, Calif., leads the global nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform Mongabay, which produces original news stories in 10 languages by over 800 correspondents across the world. Mongabay publishes meticulously researched, evidence-based news and investigative pieces, and is a trusted source giving voice and agency to frontline communities and ecosystems facing threats from development and deforestation. In-depth news reporting by journalists—who often work at great personal risk—has had widespread impact, with coverage sparking law enforcement actions and investigations, influencing investments and halting deforestation and other illegal practices. The quality journalism of Mongabay reporters spurs further impact by fueling dialogue between governments, NGOs, communities, lobbying groups and concerned citizens seeking solutions to environmental challenges.

Anne C. Evens, Ph.D., CEO, Elevate, Chicago, Ill., has dedicated her life’s work to transforming energy efficiency improvements in affordable housing and to the mission of Elevate, which works to ensure that everyone has equal access to clean and affordable heat, power and water in their homes and communities. Elevate champions energy efficiency improvements and retrofits in affordable housing to reduce household costs and improve building performance, making them healthier places to live. Under the direction of Dr. Evens, Elevate’s programs are also advancing renewable energy, water conservation, lead testing and abatement and indoor air quality improvements, primarily in multifamily buildings. Over the last 20 years, Elevate has upgraded more than 116,000 housing units and 2,000 social service agency buildings with energy efficient retrofits, reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than 213,000 tons, saved families more than $94.4 million in utility costs and created 1,181 clean energy jobs.  

“At a time when our world is fraught with rancor and division, where the loudest and most provocative voices vie for the world’s attention, the recipients of the 2022 Heinz Awards are applying their gifts, knowledge and experience to achieve critical, life-changing impacts in our communities and a more just and equitable future for all,” said Teresa Heinz, Chairman of the Heinz Family Foundation. “This year’s recipients are engaging the arts as a tool for healing. They are opening doors to economic opportunity and empowering Native communities throughout the country. They are working to end crushing energy burdens on vulnerable families, and they are truthtellers, bringing to light actions that are destroying our fragile ecosystems. We honor them for their courage and resilience, and for the example they set in showing us what individuals can achieve for the betterment of our world.”

Recipients of the 27th Heinz Awards will be honored at a virtual event on October 25, 2022. For more information on the awardees, visit www.heinzawards.org.   

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About the Heinz Awards
Established by Teresa Heinz in 1993 to honor the memory of her late husband, U.S. Senator John Heinz, the Heinz Awards celebrate the accomplishments and spirit of the Senator by recognizing the extraordinary achievements of individuals in the areas of great importance to him. The Awards, administered by the Heinz Family Foundation, currently recognize individuals for their contributions in the areas of the Arts, the Economy and the Environment. Nominations are submitted by invited experts, who serve anonymously, and are reviewed by jurors appointed by the Heinz Family Foundation. The jurors make recommendations to the Board of Directors, which subsequently selects the Award recipients.

For more information on the Heinz Awards, visit www.heinzawards.org.  

Contact: Maya Brod / 301-467-4917 / mbrod@burness.com