What we do


The charitable purposes of the Keep Fighting Foundation include culture, education, science and public health. We pursue these purposes both through projects developed with partners and through direct support to other organisations, as decided by the Board of Trustees.

FIA Helmet Programme


On 4 November 2021, in the run-up to the FIA Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, the FIA and its member organisation ANA Automóvil Club A. C., with the support of the FIA Foundation and the Keep Fighting Foundation, distributed UN standard certified helmets.

Motorcyclists and passengers have long been vulnerable users of motorised transport. In North, Central and South America, increased ownership of motorbikes has led to an increase in the number of motorcyclist fatalities and injuries. Head injuries are a major problem. In Mexico, motorcyclists accounted for only 6% of road fatalities in 2000, rising to 25% by 2020.

The FIA therefore launched the Safe and Affordable Helmet Programme to facilitate the spread of motorbike helmets. The concept was developed by helmet manufacturers with the aim of creating the most affordable helmets on the market while meeting UN ECE 22.05 safety standards certified by independent experts. 

The helmets are comfortable even in hot and humid climates. Research has shown that wearing helmets is one of the most effective measures to improve road safety, reducing head injuries among moped and motorbike riders by around 44%.

Fia Helme

To raise awareness of the importance of wearing helmets and to encourage local authorities to ensure that only high quality helmets are put on the market, a demonstration event was organised in Mexico City as part of the FIA Formula One Grand Prix.

The Keep Fighting Foundation, the FIA's first major and visible partner in the programme, donated 2600 helmets to Mexico. In total, the Keep Fighting Foundation donated 5000 of these helmets to the FIA for distribution. 1200 of these helmets had been given to Kenya before. 

More about the programme: www.fia.com

Fia Helme Fia Helme

Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau – ICM)


Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau - ICM) is a leading research center bringing together clinicians and scientists to understand the mechanisms of the brain and its pathologies, and to prevent and even cure neurological and psychiatric diseases.

It brings under one roof scientific talents from around the world and promotes cross-disciplinary research by providing scientists with the means to conduct audacious research projects. Their goal: accelerate the translation of new scientific discoveries into therapeutic innovations to help millions of patients. 

From fundamental discoveries to clinical studies, Paris Brain Institute achieved within twelve years significant milestones towards therapeutic solutions for patients and became one of the leading neuroscience research centers in the world.

Michael Schumacher, alongside Jean Todt and a group of other friends, is one of the founding members of the Paris Brain Institute. From the original idea in 2002 until today, Michael has supported the institute in various ways.

institutducerveau-icm.org

icm

The Keep Fighting Foundation also supports other non-public projects in the field of neuroscience.

United Nations Road Safety Fund


Every year, 1.3 million people die in road crashes - more than from AIDS and Malaria combined. More than 50 million people are seriously injured. Most road crashes affect young people and more than 90 per cent take place in developing countries.

By preventing traffic-related injuries, millions of people can pursue productive lives, and in doing so, drive economic growth and build their communities.

Safe mobility is one of the biggest single "quick win" the world can achieve in reducing mortality in low- and middle-income countries and in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health, cities and infrastructure, where road safety plays an important role.With the support of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) was established in 2018 as a UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund.

The Fund was created to finance actions in low- and middle-income countries to a) substantially reduce death and injuries from road crashes, and b) reduce economic losses resulting from these crashes.  

Keep Fighting Foundation is a donor to the United Nations Road Safety Fund

Verkehrssicherheitsfonds

Champions for Charity


Champions for Charity is a charity football match between NBA star Dirk Nowitzki's All Stars and a team of other champions, led by Mick Schumacher. Champions for Charity was created in honour of Michael Schumacher, who in his active time was himself a passionate football player. The family event is a wonderful platform to generate awareness for the causes of the Keep Fighting Foundation. 

Wohltätigkeitsspiel

The premiere of the charity match took place in 2016. The Dirk Nowitzki All Stars played against the Nazionale Piloti, a team of motorsport stars for whom Michael played very often during his active time.

The Nazionale Piloti included Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Felipe Massa, Mika Häkkinen, Nico Hülkenberg, Pascal Wehrlein, Timo Glock, David Coulthard and Mick Schumacher. The All Stars included basketball star Dirk Nowitzki, Lukas Podolski, Sebastian Kehl, Miroslav Klose, Stefan Reinartz, Arne Friedrich and Simon Rolfes.

The Champions for Charity games in 2017, 2018 and 2019 were also a great success with the public. The proceeds from the games and the online auction of signed memorabilia are being split between the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation and the Keep Fighting Foundation.

Wohltätigkeitsspiel

In 2020 and 2021, Champions for Charity could not take place due to the Corona pandemic, but another match is scheduled to follow in 2022.

Further information is also available at www.champions-for-charity.de.

 

Spielfeld

The Official App


For Michael Schumacher's 50th birthday, the Keep Fighting Foundation gave him, his family and his fans a very special gift: the Official Michael Schumacher App.

"Schumacher. The Official App" is a virtual museum that pays tribute to the career of the most successful Formula 1 driver in history in an unprecedented way.
 
The Official Michael Schumacher App illuminates the time that made Michael Schumacher the most successful Formula 1 driver in history in an intensive and content-rich way. It features racing cars in 3D and their engine sound, it delves into Michael Schumacher's statistics and records, it shows an interview recorded in 2013 and a virtual tour of both the Michael Schumacher Private Collection exhibition in the Motorworld Köln-Rheinland and the historic kart track in Kerpen-Manheim, where Michael Schumacher trained his outstanding driving skills as a child.

 

App Screen

"Schumacher. The Official App" is a paddock for your pocket. The digital Grand Prix of memories adds an exciting dimension to the popular "Michael Schumacher Private Collection" exhibition at Motorworld Köln-Rheinland.

App Screen

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See also www.privatecollection.ms.

Keep Fighting Award


The Keep Fighting Award celebrates the achievement and contribution of an outstanding person whose life story encourages others to keep fighting and never give up. It is designed to recognise a person whose triumph over adversity is extraordinary.

Preisverleihung

The Keep Fighting Award winner is designed to give an insight into the courage and strength released when the human spirit is challenged by almost impossible adversity. 

The first winner of the Keep Fighting Award in 2017 was Vanessa Low from Germany, gold medallist in the long jump at the Paralympics in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021.

Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg presented the award to Vanessa in the presence of then FIA President Jean Todt. This is his eulogy:

"Vanessa Low embodies in an almost striking way the values that the Keep Fighting Initiative wants to promote: Keep Fighting. Staying open and positive to new influences. Overcoming resistance. Never give up.

When she was 15, she was standing at the train station in Ratzeburg, came - pushed or fell, she never wanted to clear it up because she finds it unimportant - under a train and lost both legs. The doctors told her she would never walk again. Six years later, she was part of the German team for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. London, however, was a disappointment, and Vanessa was on the verge of retiring from competitive sport. But she decided to make a radical change. She went to train in the USA and found her fun in the sport again.

This was the second deep setback, which she turned into a personal success with courage and energy. The Paralympics in Rio 2016 became a personal triumph: gold medal and world record in the long jump / silver medal and personal best in the 100 metre run.

Vanessa Low is inspiring with her straightforward, combative attitude and her almost sunny charisma. She is a role model in taking new paths, letting others share in new experiences and putting setbacks behind her. She is thoughtful and reflective and at the same time open and international. She does not look back with hesitation, but forward with curiosity. She is a lovely fighter, tough on herself and sensitive to others.

Vanessa Low stands for success and excellence against all odds. She is the perfect ambassador for the attitude that giving up is not an option."


Video of the acceptance speech by Nico Rosberg.
Video of the acceptance speech by Vanessa Low.

Preisverleihung