Milestone for Audi Foundation

When the Audi Foundation came into existence it represented a milestone for the Audi brand in Australia, yet the announcement was characteristically low-key and without fanfare. This was a corporate philanthropic foundation established to do a job – to make a genuine difference to the lives of those in need.

The mission statement was simple and to the point: ‘To help strengthen the communities in which the brand operates, by proving long-term financial assistance through a grants program to selected registered charities that share the brand’s focus and ambition’.

From the start that approach of establishing long-term partnerships with proven charities differed from the more traditional approach to philanthropy, which had been found by extensive research to be less than effective. So, rather than the accepted practice of straight donations to multiple charities, Audi Foundation identified key areas to target and then set about creating partnerships which would receive long-term funding in the form of grants to build and expand programs over time.

With funds coming from the Audi national dealer network, private donations and fundraising initiatives, the results after the first five years of operation have exceeded all expectation, with over five million dollars raised and over 1.6 million individuals and families around the country receiving direct support.

“The Audi Foundation was originally established to support and foster meaningful change and to see the impact we have made in five short years is truly rewarding,” says Sansom.

“Our deserving charity partners continue to inspire us with their incredible efforts to help Australians most in need.”

From the start the Foundation has focused on three core pillars – shaping education and career futures, driving positive mental health outcomes and fuelling progressive approaches to medical treatments and technology. Strong and tremendously successful partnerships have been established with The Smith Family, Country Education Foundation of Australia (CEFA) and Zephyr Education in the former category, as well as Reach Out and RUOK in the mental health area.  In the all-important fields of medical treatment and technology, partnerships with Camp Quality, Charlie Teo Foundation and Humpty Dumpty Foundation have each yielded positive results, touching the lives of many through support, vital research and the supply of desperately needed medical equipment.

The results of all of these partnerships are delivering tangible results that bear out the decision to take this approach. More than 4800 students have taken part in the Smith Family’s Work Inspiration program over past five years while 30 Country Education Foundation scholarships have been awarded over the same period worth a more than $100,000 enabling gifted students from country areas to pursue their tertiary education dreams.

“There is no overstating the importance of education,” says Sansom, “and these programs not only allow individuals to achieve their potential, but by extension, perpetuate that positive change in the communities they go on to work in.”

The Audi Foundation has also donated a number of Audi vehicles to the engineering and design faculties of some of the country’s leading universities to help students in their studies and to likewise drive future outcomes. Work on an Audi A7 Sportback donated to the University of New South Wales’ engineering faculty has already become an integral part of the faculty’s award-winning Sunswift Race Team and its work on future mobility. 

Another donated to the University of Canberra is being used to further the studies of their design faculty, while Griffith University and the Handbrake Turn youth program have both benefited from the donation of Audi A7 Sportback.

Audi Foundation funding was instrumental in the establishment of the Reach Out parent program which has been utilised by nearly 550,000 people, while the RUOK? Conversation Convoys with their distinctive yellow Audi Q7s have become instantly recognisable as they traverse the country spreading the message of looking out for the mental wellbeing of others by starting a simple conversation.

Funding from Audi Foundation has enabled the study of 100 of the most aggressive brain cancers through the Charlie Teo Foundation and nearly $300,000 worth of medical has been purchased for use in children’s hospitals through support of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation. 

Camp Quality has continued its outstanding work in cancer education with the assistance of Audi Foundation, with more than 88,000 students taking part in its Cancer Education Program over the past five years.

In addition to its three core pillars, Audi Foundation has also provided support for communities adversely affected by unforeseen challenges, implementing a sustainable communities initiative which has already provided additional support to communities affected by the bushfires and floods that have ravaged so much of the east coast of the country over the past three years.

“In addition to the struggles faced by so many on a daily basis, the last five years have thrown up plenty of challenges, from natural disasters in the form of fire and flood to the wide-ranging impacts of COVID,” says Paul Sansom. “It’s gratifying to have been in a position to help and make a difference to people’s lives throughout this time, and highlights the importance of the Audi Foundation and the partner organisations it helps support.”

Certainly the six million people impacted by the work of the Audi Foundation since its inception would agree with that sentiment. But while Sansom is happy to acknowledge the achievements of the first five years, the focus is very much on what comes next and seeing how much more can achieved by the Audi Foundation’s 10th anniversary.

“We are proud of the positive impact Audi Foundation has made in the past five years,” says Sansom, “but we are also mindful of the fact that there is always more to do.”