Fia Foundation

Charity Number: 1088670

Annual Expenditure: £18.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £18 million (charitable expenditure 2024)
  • Total Income: £9.4 million (primarily from investments)
  • Grant Range: Varies by program - €1.2 million annual endowment for Road Safety Grants Programme
  • Founded: 2001 with $300 million endowment
  • Geographic Focus: International (80+ countries)
  • Decision Time: Not publicly specified

Contact Details

Address: 60 Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DS, United Kingdom

Phone: +44 (0)207 930 3882

Email: info@fiafoundation.org

Website: www.fiafoundation.org

Overview

The FIA Foundation is an independent UK-registered charity (No. 1088670) established in 2001 with a $300 million donation from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The Foundation manages and supports an international programme of activities promoting road safety, environmental protection, sustainable mobility, and motor sport safety research. With total charitable expenditure of £18 million in 2024 and significant investment assets generating £9.4 million annual income, the Foundation operates as an “activist philanthropy,” working closely with grant partners to shape projects and advocate for policy change. Their Strategy 2030 sets ambitious goals including universal Safe System adoption, safe school journeys for every child, achievement of WHO clean air guidelines, accelerated low/zero carbon mobility, and sustainable funding for road safety and air quality initiatives. The Foundation has funded over 1,000 projects across 131 countries and influenced $80 billion in safer road construction globally.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

FIA Safe and Sustainable Mobility Grants Programme (SSMGP)

  • Available exclusively to FIA member clubs (motor sport and mobility organisations)
  • Annual endowment of €1.2 million from the FIA Foundation
  • Has awarded over €9.2 million to date, funding 540+ initiatives in 101 countries
  • Organized around four thematic areas focused on road safety interventions for urban mobility
  • Supports use of tools including FIA School Assessment Toolkit, iRAP's Star Rating for Schools (SR4S), and CycleRAP

FIA Sport Grant Programme

  • Available to FIA ASNs (motor sport national governing bodies)
  • Has funded 516 projects in 131 countries
  • Supports promotion and development of motor sport activities with safety focus

Strategic Partnerships and Core Funding

  • Provides core grants to major international programs including:
  • International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP)
  • Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP)
  • UN Road Safety Fund (€1 million commitments)
  • Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI)
  • Real Urban Emissions Initiative (TRUE)

Priority Areas

Safe Roads: Reducing road traffic deaths and injuries through infrastructure improvements, with 1.3 million kilometers of road improved through star rating methodologies

Climate Action: Accelerating transition to low/zero carbon mobility, advising 100 countries on fuel economy policy

Clean Air: Combating air pollution, achieving WHO clean air guidelines; TRUE initiative has emissions database of over 1 million vehicles

Safe Motor Sport: Funding specialist motor sport safety research

Child and Youth Rights: Protecting children's rights, safe school journeys; 80,000 African children protected through SARSAI programme

Liveable Cities: Developing sustainable urban environments with focus on vulnerable road users

Social Justice: Policy analysis emphasizing social equity across all programs

What They Don't Fund

  • Direct grants to organizations that are not FIA members (for structured grant programmes)
  • Unsolicited applications from organizations outside established strategic partnerships
  • Projects unrelated to core mission areas of road safety, sustainable mobility, clean air, and motor sport safety
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Governance and Leadership

Trustees (Board of 15)

Chair: David Richards CBE (UK)

FIA President (Ex Officio): Mohammed Ben Sulayem (United Arab Emirates)

FIA Nominee Trustees:

  • Gorki Obando (Ecuador)
  • Carmelo Sanz De Barros (Spain)
  • Jan Stovicek (Czech Republic)

Other Trustees:

  • H.E. Dr Amani Abou-Zeid (Egypt)
  • Abdelrahman Al-Mannai (Qatar)
  • Gerardo Braggiotti (Italy)
  • Wan Heping (China)
  • Werner Kraus (Austria)
  • Andrea Oliver (Dominican Republic)
  • Elizabeth Perry AM (Australia)
  • Angelo Sticchi Damiani (Italy)
  • Bernard Tay (Singapore)
  • Ken Woodier (UK)

Leadership

Executive Director: Saul Billingsley (leading the Foundation since 2013, deputy director from 2004)

Governance Statement

The Foundation is independent and under the control of its Trustees who are required to act within the powers conferred upon them in the Articles of Association and in the best interests of the charity. The Board comprises 9-15 individuals including the FIA President ex officio, three FIA nominees, and at least two independent Trustees.

Key Leadership Quotes

David Richards CBE has emphasized the “urgent need for investment, knowledge sharing, and capacity building for proven road safety solutions,” warning “We succeed or fail together” in calls to action for the sector.

Saul Billingsley has stressed the need for scale in road safety funding, stating contributions "need to be significantly scaled up from the current level of pledges, welcome though they are, if we are to achieve the UN's own goal of a fund capable of strategic interventions, in the hundreds of millions of dollars, that can genuinely move the needle.“ He emphasized ”a real need for a convening global fund, or funds, that can aggregate resources and political capital and direct effort to helping governments, UN agencies, development banks and civil society to focus and collaborate on road safety priorities."

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

For FIA Members Only (Grant Programmes):

The FIA's structured grant programmes are exclusively available to FIA members - motor sport and mobility organisations that are members of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.

FIA Safe and Sustainable Mobility Grants Programme:

  • Applicants must first register through the online portal at grants.fia.com
  • Once approved, applicants receive username and password to access the application system
  • Practice portal available for familiarization with application forms
  • Applications require detailed, structured project proposals
  • All funds must be used exclusively for approved project purposes
  • External panel of road safety experts selects projects
  • 27 projects selected in 2024 funding round

Application Portal: grants.fia.com

Training Portal: grantstraining.fia.com

For Non-Members (Strategic Partnerships):

The FIA Foundation does not operate an open grant application process for organizations outside FIA membership. Instead, the Foundation:

  • Works through strategic partnerships with international agencies including WHO, UN Environment Programme, and World Bank Global Road Safety Facility
  • Provides core funding to established partner organizations (iRAP, Global NCAP, GFEI, TRUE)
  • Operates through “activist philanthropy,” working closely with select partners to co-develop programmes
  • Focuses on leveraging small investments for significant policy change

Organizations interested in partnership opportunities should contact the Foundation directly at info@fiafoundation.org to discuss potential collaboration aligned with Strategy 2030 priorities.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly specified. The Foundation publishes programme guidelines, selection methodology and criteria, and lists of awarded projects on FIA websites as part of their commitment to transparency.

Success Rates

In the 2024 funding round, 27 projects were selected from applications to the Safe and Sustainable Mobility Grants Programme. Specific overall success rates are not published.

Reapplication Policy

Reapplication policies are not publicly specified for the grant programmes.

Application Success Factors

For FIA Member Grant Applications

Alignment with Programme Themes: Projects should clearly address one of the four key thematic areas, particularly road safety interventions for urban mobility and protection of vulnerable road users in cities.

Use of Proven Tools and Methodologies: Applications should incorporate recognized assessment tools such as:

  • FIA School Assessment Toolkit
  • iRAP's Star Rating for Schools (SR4S)
  • CycleRAP for cycling infrastructure
  • Evidence-based Safe System approaches

Detailed Project Structure: The Foundation requires “detailed and structured project” proposals with clear objectives, methodologies, and intended outcomes.

Demonstrable Impact: Applications should show potential for measurable improvements in road safety, with clear metrics and evaluation plans.

Local Implementation Capacity: Projects must demonstrate the FIA member club's capability to implement activities at the local or national level.

For Strategic Partnership Opportunities

Scientific Rigor: “Expert partnerships are data-led and responsive to science. The best of their programmatic partners aim for peer review to independently validate their work, recognizing it is key to unlocking academic respect and securing wider endorsement and financial backing.”

Leverage and Policy Impact: The Foundation seeks partnerships that operate “at the sweet spot where small investments can relay significant policy change.” They value organizations that can demonstrate how Foundation support will unlock larger funding streams or drive policy adoption.

Collaboration Orientation: The Foundation values partners who “pool sovereignty and play to the strengths of various partners,” working as one partner amongst many rather than seeking sole credit.

Social Justice Focus: “The policy analysis of social equity that imbues their work is an element they bring to their coalitions, partnerships and campaigns.” Partners should demonstrate commitment to equity and rights-based approaches.

Proven Track Record: The Foundation's major partners (iRAP, Global NCAP, GRSP) are established organizations with international recognition and demonstrated capability to deliver at scale.

Alignment with UN Goals: Projects should contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), as well as UN Decade of Action for Road Safety targets.

Recent Successful Project Examples (2024)

  • Star Rating for Schools implementations in Azerbaijan, Botswana, Chile, Peru, Philippines, and Zimbabwe using iRAP methodologies
  • Research projects on shared mobility services and micromobility safety (Botswana Motor Sports, Canadian Automobile Association)
  • Child safety surveys on car seat usage and safety practices (Japan Automobile Federation)
  • Urban road safety studies in Spain (RACE and RACC)
  • Youth education initiatives including interactive mobility teaching packages for ages 14-18 (Touring Club Belgium)
  • Helmet distribution programmes in Philippines and Vietnam (1,500 helmets distributed to school children)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • FIA membership is essential for accessing structured grant programmes - if your organization is not an FIA member club, focus on strategic partnership opportunities or consider working through an FIA member organization
  • Strategy 2030 priorities dominate funding decisions - ensure your work directly addresses safe roads, climate action, clean air, child rights, or liveable cities with explicit social justice dimensions
  • Evidence-based approaches are non-negotiable - incorporate proven tools like iRAP methodologies, demonstrate scientific rigor, and plan for peer-reviewed evaluation
  • Think leverage and policy impact - the Foundation seeks partnerships where their investment can catalyze larger funding streams or drive policy change, not just direct service delivery
  • Partnership mindset required - the Foundation practices “activist philanthropy” and expects to co-develop programmes with partners; demonstrate willingness to collaborate and share credit
  • For FIA members: Use the practice portal at grantstraining.fia.com to familiarize yourself with application requirements before submitting formal proposals
  • For non-members: Contact the Foundation directly at info@fiafoundation.org with a clear proposition showing how collaboration advances Strategy 2030 goals and demonstrating your organization's unique capabilities and track record

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