The Heinz Family Foundation is a private charitable organization that gives grants and awards primarily to left-wing individuals and causes in the areas of education, the environment and social justice. It was established in 1984 by the late U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III (R-Pennsylvania) and his wife Teresa Heinz (later Teresa Heinz-Kerry). The Foundation was incorporated in 1992, one year after Sen. Heinz, heir to the Pittsburgh-based Heinz foods dynasty, died in a plane crash.¹ Teresa inherited a personal fortune worth an estimated $1 billion.²

In 1995, Teresa married then-Senator John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) after meeting him at successive Earth Day Summits.³ Heinz-Kerry remained a registered Republican until Sen. Kerry launched an unsuccessful presidential campaign to unseat incumbent President George W. Bush in 2004.

The Heinz Family Foundation is one of three charitable foundations known collectively as The Heinz Family Philanthropies. The others, which technically run through the Heinz Family Foundation, are the H. John Heinz III Foundation and the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation.⁴ All three are controlled by Heinz-Kerry. She is also the former longtime chair (now chair emeritus) of the $1.5 billion Heinz Endowments.⁵

Heinz Awards

The Heinz Family Foundation is widely known for sponsoring the annual Heinz Awards. Established in 1993 to honor the memory of the late H. John Heinz III, the awards are given to selected individuals in the areas of the arts and humanities, the environment, the human condition, public policy, technology, the economy, and employment. Each honoree receives an unrestricted cash prize of $250,000.

In 2016, Heinz Awards winners included Hal Harvey.⁶ Past winners include Obama administration healthcare official and failed Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Donald Berwick (D), Head Start program architect Edward Zigler, environmentalist Peggy Shepard, and population control activist Paul Ehrlich.⁷

Controversy

In 2004, the Heinz Family Foundation, under Teresa Heinz-Kerry, was listed as a “silver benefactor” by the Democratic National Convention for a cash donation of $250,000 to $500,000.⁸ John Kerry, Heinz-Kerry’s husband, was the Democratic nominee for President. The donation was awarded during a DNC funding shortfall and raised questions about the tax-exempt Foundation’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.⁹ Under Internal Revenue Service rules, 501(c)3 organizations are prohibited from participating in political campaigns for elective public office.¹⁰

Heinz-Kerry also invited criticism for saying in a news interview that former First Lady Laura Bush was less experienced than she was, and never had a real job. “But I don’t know that she’s ever had a real job — I mean, since she’s been grown up,” Heinz-Kerry said.¹¹ Laura Bush had in fact worked in the Texas public school system for a decade. Heinz-Kerry later apologized.

The Heinz ketchup heiress also made disparaging remarks about conservative U.S. Rep. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) during his successful U.S. Senate bid for the late John Heinz’s former seat. Heinz-Kerry said Santorum “does not deserve diplomacy,”¹² and called the future two-term senator and Presidential candidate “Forrest Gump with an attitude.”¹³

1. “Heinz Family Foundation.” Foundation Directory Online. June 4, 2016. Accessed May 17, 2017. https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/grantmaker-profile/?collection=grantmakers&activity=result&key=HEIN012&_ga=2.67650577.1801281888.1494416553-486275892.1494416370.
2. “Teresa F. Heinz Kerry.” Forbes. March 5, 2008. Accessed May 21, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_Teresa-F-Heinz-Kerry_UZ1H.html.
3. “Teresa Heinz Kerry.” Biography.com. April 2, 2014. Accessed May 30, 2017.

   https://www.biography.com/people/teresa-heinz-kerry-11718235.

4. “Meet Teresa’s Wealthy Friends: The Heinz Foundations and the Kerry Campaign.” Human Events. April 13, 2004. Accessed May 22. 2017. http://humanevents.com/2004/04/13/meet-teresas-wealthy-friends-the-heinz-foundations-and-the-kerry-campaign/.
5. “Teresa Heinz.” Board of Directors. The Heinz Endowments. Accessed May 22, 2017.  http://www.heinz.org/Interior.aspx?id=429&b=2.
6. “From a Policy Advocate Who Ignited a National Conversation on Criminal Justice to an Acclaimed Musician Preserving the Cultural Heritage of New Orleans: The 21st Heinz Awards Honors Five Distinguished Changemakers.” The Heinz Family Foundation. September 14, 2016. Accessed May 21, 2017. http://www.heinzawards.net/pub/rounds/pdf/21st_Heinz_Awards_General_Press_Release.pdf.

7. Recipients 1994-2015. The Heinz Awards. Accessed May 22, 2017. http://www.heinzawards.net/pub/recipients/pdf/recipients_byname.pdf.
8. Klein, Rick. “Funding slows for political parlay, Democratic convention hunting for big donors.” Boston Globe. November 11, 2003. Accessed May 22, 2017. http://archive.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/11/11/funding_slows_for_political_parley/.
9. Johnson, Ben. “Teresa Heinz Kerry’s radical gifts.” Frontpagemag.com. March 27, 2009. Acessed May 17, 2017. http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=34496.
10. ^“The Restriction of Political Campaign Intervention by Section 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations.” Charitable Organizations. Internal Revenue Service. September 13, 2016. Accessed May 17, 2017. https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/the-restriction-of-political-campaign-intervention-by-section-501-c-3-tax-exempt-organizations.
11. “Teresa Heinz Kerry apologizes for Laura Bush comment.” Associated Press. Reprinted USA Today. October 20, 2004. Accesses May 29, 2017. https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-10-20-heinz-kerry_x.htm.
12. Leibovich, Mark. “What Teresa Heinz Found and What She Lost.”

    The Washington Post. Reprinted Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 5, 2002. Accessed May 29, 2017. http://old.post-gazette.com/nation/20020605teresanat1p1.asp.

13. Usborne, David. “Teresa Heinz Kerry: Too much attitude for a First Lady?” The Independent. February 7, 2004. Accessed May 29, 2017. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/teresa-heinz-kerry-too-much-attitude-for-a-first-lady-68008.html.