The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation has announced six recipients of its 2025 Latin Music Research and Preservation Grants program. With generous support from PepsiCo’s Juntos Crecemos initiative, the Foundation has awarded $60,000 to researchers, musicologists, and institutions advancing the preservation and celebration of Latin music’s cultural heritage. This year’s grants double the individual award amounts from $5,000 to $10,000 in honor of the Foundation’s 10th anniversary.

"Research and Preservation Grants are essential for preserving the legacy of Latin music and fostering the next generation of creators. We are grateful to PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos for their unwavering support and continued passion to celebrate Latin music and its cultural heritage," said Raquel "Rocky" Egusquiza, Executive Director of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation. "Together, we are able to broaden our reach and provide support to even more deserving projects in alignment with our mission."

The grants are divided into two categories: Research Grants, which focus on historical, anthropological, and folklore studies, and Preservation Grants, which fund archiving and safeguarding projects. The 2025 recipients and their initiatives are:

Research Grants:

Dr. Manuel Sevilla, Colombia

  • Project: Archivos y festivales: Aprendizajes de dos casos en Colombia (Archives and Festivals: Learnings from Two Cases in Colombia).

  • Focus: Examines the role of archives and festivals in preserving Colombia’s musical traditions, particularly the Petronio Álvarez Pacific Music Festival and the Vallenato Legend Festival, both UNESCO-recognized.

Jorge Benavides, Honduras

  • Project: Dügü Inaudito: Salvaguardia del Legado Ancestral Garífuna (Inaudible Dügü: Safeguarding the Ancestral Garífuna Legacy).

  • Focus: Documents Garífuna ancestral ceremonies to ensure their preservation through global collaborations and academic initiatives.

Caio de Souza, Brazil

  • Project: Sonic Transductions: Revisiting Lorenzo Dow Turner’s Radioscape in Bahia (1940-1941).

  • Focus: Revives historic recordings by linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner, offering insights into Salvador, Bahia’s cultural and artistic history through a six-episode podcast series.

Preservation Grants:

Orquesta Experimental de Instrumentos Nativos, Bolivia

  • Initiative: Preserves Alain Thirion’s recordings of Bolivian indigenous music by digitizing and geolocating the material.

  • Goal: Safeguards traditions threatened by globalization and generational shifts.

Andrew Skinner, Daniel Zanessi, and Antonio Leguiza, Argentina

  • Initiative: Establishes the Archivo de Música Cuyana y Popular Argentina (Archive of Cuyana and Popular Argentine Music) at the National University of Cuyo.

  • Focus: Digitizes culturally significant works, including Nueva Canción pioneer Tito Francia’s recordings.

Miguel Díaz y Nicolas Ramirez Salaberry, Paraguay

  • Initiative: Creates the Fonoteca Memoria Histórica de la Radio Nacional del Paraguay (Historical Memory Sound Archive of the National Radio of Paraguay).

  • Goal: Rescues vinyl records tied to Paraguay’s tumultuous history, ensuring their survival.

Since its inception in 2015, the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation’s Research and Preservation Grants program has awarded over $255,000 to support 41 projects worldwide. These initiatives not only honor Latin music’s legacy, but also inspire innovation and collaboration among researchers and musicians.