How Data Changed Our Approach to Educational Impact
For five years, the Kerrnandez Foundation operated from a simple belief: if we carefully select the right students and provide intensive support, we can change their lives.
We acted on this belief. Every year, we identified three students from underserved communities in Mexico. We vetted them thoroughly. We provided:
- 3,000 MXN per month for food, transportation, and medicine (36,000 MXN/year)
- Brand new laptops (300-500 USD each—they kept them)
- Home internet access: up to 500 MXN/month (6,000 MXN/year)
- Direct personal mentorship
- Customized academic guidance
- Career support and networking
Real cost per student: approximately 47,000-51,000+ MXN per year.
(And this cost was rising: as the peso strengthened from 2020-2026, our purchasing power actually decreased, meaning we had to spend MORE to accomplish the same thing.)
It felt like the right approach. We were being strategic. We were being careful. We were choosing who deserved help.
Then something unexpected happened. The data told us we were wrong.
THE DISCOVERY
Parallel to our scholarship program, we had created something simpler: Starlink antennas and Kerrnandez Rooms.
The Kerrnandez Room was just a space with computers and free internet access. Open to anyone. No application process. No selection. No vetting. Anyone could walk in and use it.
The Starlink antennas provided internet connectivity to rural communities with zero access. Same model: open access, no selection, no vetting.
The cost? Antenna setup (~8,000 MXN) + monthly connectivity (~3,000 MXN/month). That’s it.
Compare that to what we were spending on scholarships: 47,000-51,000+ MXN per student per year, plus laptops, plus home internet, plus mentorship.
And the students who came to these open-access spaces—the ones we didn’t select, the ones who didn’t receive monthly checks, the ones who simply chose to show up—achieved the same career outcomes as our carefully-selected, heavily-subsidized scholarship recipients.
This was sobering. This meant we had misunderstood something fundamental about impact.
We gave them EVERYTHING (home internet, laptops, mentorship, hand selection) and kids with basically nothing still matched them.
WHAT THE DATA REVEALED
We looked more carefully:
The scholarship students? Doing well. Working in good positions. Building careers.
The Kerrnandez Room students? Equally successful. Similar career outcomes. Similar advancement.
But the pattern went deeper.
The Students Who Thrived
The students who achieved the most—in both groups—shared one characteristic: hunger.
They weren’t content with what we gave them. They asked for more. They reached out. They followed through. They pushed themselves.
Some of these were scholarship students. Some were Kerrnandez Room students.
But all of them were the ones who wanted it most.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Some of our hand-selected scholarship students? Honestly, they got comfortable.
The monthly check arrived. The laptop was in their hands. They had what they needed. And some of them didn’t push as hard.
Meanwhile, students who showed up to the free computer room had to fight for their own success. No hand-picking. No monthly check. No guarantee. Just their own hunger and access to tools.
And they succeeded equally—sometimes more visibly.
THE REALIZATION
We were spending 90% of our budget on selection. We were spending 10% on access. And the results were the same.
This forced us to ask uncomfortable questions:
- If a carefully selected student and a self-selected student achieve the same outcomes, what are we paying for?
- Are we investing in impact or in the feeling of expertise?
- Could the same impact reach 10 times more people at 1/10th the cost?
- Is our job to pick winners or to build infrastructure for anyone hungry?
The answer became clear: We were spending money on the wrong thing.
THE PIVOT
We couldn’t unsee what the data showed us.
We stopped funding individual scholarships in the traditional model.
Instead, we reimagined Kerrnandez Foundation around infrastructure and access—the things that actually mattered.
Our New Approach: High-Leverage Philanthropy for Educational Access
Instead of asking “Which students deserve our help?” we now ask: “What barriers prevent hungry students from succeeding? How do we remove them? How do we build infrastructure that serves many?”
And here’s what proves it works:
THE PROOF: THREE YEARS OF STARLINK DATA
Three years ago, we installed two Starlink antennas at Universidad Autónoma de la Sierra Hidalguense.
That’s it. Two antennas. Open access. No selection. No vetting.
What happened?
Over 1,000 students gained internet access. They came. They learned. They succeeded.
The Numbers:
| Metric | Old Model (Scholarships) | New Model (Infrastructure) |
|---|---|---|
| What Students Got | 36K MXN stipend + laptop + home internet + mentorship | Open access, no laptop, no home internet, no selection |
| Real Annual Cost | 47,000-51,000+ MXN/student/year | 8,000 MXN (initial) + 3,000 MXN/month (~43K/year) |
| Students Served | 1 | 1,000+ |
| Cost Per Student/Year | 47,000+ MXN | ~36-40 MXN (~$2 USD) |
| Timeline | Single student | 3+ years, ongoing |
| Career Outcomes | Strong ✓ | Identical ✓ |
1,300+ times more reach. 1/1,300th the cost. Identical outcomes.
We gave them EVERYTHING (home internet, laptops, mentorship, hand selection) and kids with basically nothing still matched them.
The hungry students found the tool. They didn’t need selection. They didn’t need monthly checks. They didn’t need laptops or home internet. They needed access to possibilities.
They got infrastructure. They succeeded equally.
That’s the insight: equal outcomes at 1/1,300th the cost.
What This Tells Us
This isn’t hypothetical. This isn’t theory. We’ve been doing this for three years.
Infrastructure works. Access scales. Hunger matters more than selection.
Two Starlink antennas. Over 1,000 students. Same degree completion rates. Same career outcomes.
This is our model. And it’s proven.
WHAT THIS MEANS
This isn’t a rejection of direct support. It’s a recognition that infrastructure works.
Key Insights (Proven by 3 Years of Data):
- Self-Selection > Expert Selection — Students found the Starlink access without us selecting them. They came. They succeeded.
- Access > Money — Tools matter more than handouts. 3,000 MXN/month antenna serves 1,000+ students vs. 47,000-51,000+ MXN/year scholarship (including laptop, home internet, mentorship) for 1 student.
- Infrastructure Scales — 1,300+ times more reach. 1/1,300th the cost. Same outcomes.
- Hunger Is the Real Variable — We gave them EVERYTHING (home internet, laptops, mentorship, hand selection) and kids with basically nothing still matched them in outcomes. The hungry ones find a way either way.
FOR STUDENTS & HUNGRY PEOPLE
You don’t need to be selected to succeed.
You need access. You need tools. You need barriers removed.
The most successful students we’ve supported weren’t always the ones we selected. They were the ones who:
- Showed up
- Asked for more
- Reached out
- Pushed themselves
- Found their own way
If you have hunger and drive, the infrastructure is for you.
FOR ORGANIZATIONS & LEADERS
If you see a barrier preventing educational access, we want to hear about it.
Whether it’s:
- Lack of internet connectivity
- No computers for students to use
- Transportation preventing school attendance
- Learning spaces that don’t exist
- Any infrastructure that would unlock opportunity
If it serves many students and removes a real barrier, we want to fund it.
We’re accepting proposals from schools, community organizations, and institutions working on educational access.
Use the following proposal as a template to yours.
FOR DONORS & FELLOW FUNDERS
This story might challenge how you think about impact:
Question everything:
- Are you spending 90% on selection and 10% on access?
- Could you achieve the same outcomes at 1/1,300th the cost?
- What if infrastructure reached 1,300× more people without losing any effectiveness?
- Who self-selects into your programs vs. who needs to be convinced?
- What barriers—not what individuals—should you be funding?
The data might surprise you too.
We spent 47,000-51,000+ MXN per student, gave them EVERYTHING (laptop, home internet, mentorship), and kids with basically nothing still matched them. That changes the game.
MOVING FORWARD
Kerrnandez Foundation: High-Leverage Philanthropy for Educational Access
We invest in infrastructure that removes barriers and lets hungry people succeed.
Not charity. Math.
What We Fund Now
✓ Starlink connectivity for underserved communities (proven 3+ years)
✓ Kerrnandez Rooms (computer labs with free access)
✓ Transportation infrastructure (school buses, mobility access)
✓ Any infrastructure that removes barriers and serves 100+ students
✓ Projects with 5+ year sustainability plans
What We Don’t Fund
✗ Individual scholarships (traditional model)
✗ Intensive 1:1 support
✗ Hand-selected aid (without infrastructure scale)
✗ Projects serving fewer than 100 people
CALL TO ACTION
Do you see a barrier to educational access?
Whether you’re a school principal, community leader, or nonprofit director—if you have a vision for removing an educational barrier and serving many students, we want to hear from you.
Submit a proposal. Tell us what barrier you see. Show us your solution. Convince us it’s sustainable.
FINAL THOUGHT
Five years ago, we thought we had the answer: select the right people, support them intensively, watch them succeed.
We were partially right. They did succeed.
But we were optimizing for the wrong metric. We were spending for impact per person instead of impact per peso. We were confusing selection with strategy.
Three years ago, we proved it.
Two Starlink antennas. Over 1,000 students. No selection. No monthly checks. No handpicking.
Same degree completion rates. Same career outcomes. Same success.
The real strategy is removing barriers for anyone hungry.
That’s what we’re doing now. And the data supports it.
If you’re hungry, the infrastructure is for you.
Kerrnandez Foundation
High-Leverage Philanthropy for Educational Access
Serving Mexico | Scaling Impact through Infrastructure
