Porsche has always seen itself as a partner of society and upholds its responsibilities accordingly. People have always been at the heart of this. The sports car manufacturer is involved in a large number of charitable initiatives and focuses on projects in the core areas of sport, culture, environment and social affairs as well as science and education.
In 2023, the company supported 150 projects worldwide. As part of ‘Racing for Charity’, Porsche is continuing this commitment in motorsport at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, comparable to similar initiatives in football and tennis.
As was the case in 2023, the proceeds will go to three organisations: Kinderherzen retten e.V., Interplast Germany e.V. and the Ferry Porsche Foundation. Last year, at the 100th anniversary of the world’s greatest endurance race and the 75th anniversary of the Porsche brand, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s three hybrid racing cars completed a total of 733 laps. This resulted in a 549,750 euro donation, which the sports car manufacturer promptly topped up to 911,000 euros. Since then, the organisation Kinderherzen retten e.V. has been able to provide ten young people from El Salvador, Syria, Albania and Afghanistan with successful and life-saving heart operations at Freiburg University Hospital in Germany. Interplast Germany e.V. used the donation for medical missions in Tanzania and Mozambique, among other places, to provide acute aid. The Ferry Porsche Foundation supported seriously ill children and their families.
“We’re equal parts delighted and grateful that Kinderherzen retten e.V. is once again one of the recipients of this year’s ‘Racing for Charity’ donations,” says an elated Professor Friedhelm Beyersdorf, founder of the association. The initiative works closely with the University Medical Centre Freiburg. Children with coronary diseases or disabilities are operated on there. “With this donation, we can give children with heart disease from less developed countries a chance at a normal and healthy life. Just like Manar, a five-year-old girl from Syria who is raised without her parents by her grandmother. Thanks to the donation from 2023, we were able to bring her to Germany and treat her successfully. Without this operation, it would’ve been virtually impossible for her to prosper in her home country.”
“Many thanks to Porsche for making us a part of ‘Racing for Charity’ with our work at Interplast Germany. Thanks to the generous donation, we treated numerous children in Africa, Asia and South America last year,” summarises Professor Jürgen Dolderer, Member of the Board of Interplast Germany e.V. Founded in 1980, the organisation helps young patients in developing countries with congenital disorders or otherwise acquired anomalies through plastic surgery operations. “I’m particularly touched by the fact that this work enables those affected to return to a normal life. This is the case for six-year-old Zita from Tanzania, who could no longer move her fingers due to a severe burn contracture. Now she can write again. She’s absolutely delighted to finally be able to go to school.”
“We’re thrilled to be involved in ‘Racing for Charity’ again this year,” explains Sebastian Rudolph, Chairman of the Board of the Ferry Porsche Foundation. “We used last year’s donation to support seriously ill children and their families. We aimed to awaken a zest for life in difficult times and offer downtime, rays of hope and companionship for those affected. We look forward to supporting this important work with this year’s donation.” The Ferry Porsche Foundation was established in May 2018 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Porsche brand. The foundation’s work focuses on children and young people and their families.
Porsche achieved first place in the ‘Sustainable Endurance Award’ of the Le Mans organiser Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) with the ‘Racing for Charity’ initiative in 2023. The two 963 works racing cars already bear the logos of the fundraising initiative at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. They can be seen on the inside of the front right fender. The 6-hour race of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC on 11 May is regarded as the dress rehearsal for Le Mans. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans (15/16 June), the works team will once again field a third Porsche 963.
