Shift Up Now Foundation awards 2025 Female Racers Grants to 15 talents

The Shift Up Now Foundation is awarding over $250,000 in grants to support 15 female drivers across 12 racing series in 2025, furthering its mission to promote gender equality in motorsport through vital financial backing.

Photo credits: Shift Up Now

The Shift Up Now Foundation announced that it will distribute over $250,000 in grants this season, supporting 15 female drivers across 12 different racing series.

Founded at the end of 2022, the Shift Up Now Foundation operates alongside its for-profit counterpart, working to advance gender equality in motorsport. Through tax-deductible donations, sponsorships, and grants, the foundation continues to empower female athletes, helping them secure opportunities in professional racing.

The all-female collective is led by Indy 500 veteran Pippa Mann, who has worked tirelessly over the last few years to create an organization to help find funding, partners and sponsorship for female athletes - in an environment where it clearly exists a funding gap.

The grants will provide crucial backing to both established and up-and-coming racers, including one of the latest additions to the Shift Up Now roster, Tatiana Calderón, who is currently competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Gradient Racing.

The 11 other Shift Up Now Athletes receiving grants include:

• Sabré Cook (Porsche Carrera Cup North America, JDX Racing)

• Ashley Freiberg (Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Kellymoss Racing)

• Loni Unser (Porsche Sprint Challenge North America, Kellymoss Racing)

• Erika Hoffmann (Porsche Sprint Challenge North America, Kellymoss Racing)

• Laura Hayes (Thunder Bunny Racing, series TBA)

• Nicole Havrda (FR America, Kiwi Motorsports)

• Christina Lam (IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Rockwell Auto Development)

• Michele Abbate (Spring Mountain Racing Series, Grr Racing)

• Sarah Montgomery (World Racing League, AE Victory Racing)

• Taylor Ferns (500 Sprint Car Tour & USAC Silver Crown, Taylor Ferns Racing)

• Sally Mott (Mazda MX-5 Cup, JTR Motorsports Engineering)

  
  

Additionally, three rising talents will receive support as they transition from karting to professional motorsport:

• Ashlyn Speed (Mazda MX-5 Cup, Hendricks Motorsport)

• Paityn Feyen (Toyota GR Cup Series, Copeland Motorsports / Nitro Motorsports)

• Emerson “Emy” Kissick (Spec MX-5, Mazda Motorsports)

“Being able to make a difference for this many racers, just months after the foundation celebrated its second birthday, is a dream come true,” said Pippa Mann, Shift Up Now CEO Pippa Mann, reflecting on the organization’s rapid growth and its impact on this year’s grantees.

“I cannot thank all of our donors enough - from brands like PenFed Credit Union who supported our inaugural event last year as a title sponsor, to Lucas Oil creating a matching donation, to Parity and the Women’s Sports Foundation including us in their Parity Week Grants."

“I’m touched by the race fans who’ve joined our mission to help us make a difference, not just women supporting women, but I’m thrilled that we’ve had so many male allies as well", Mann continued. "We also saw racers step forward to support other racers, making donations that don’t benefit themselves, but simply because they believe in our goals. Plus, larger donations from generous personal donors such as James Schenck have been significant in moving the needle.”

“To everyone who took part in our 2024 fundraising in any way, this list of 2025 grantees has been made possible due to your support", Mann concluded. "You have personally helped these racers make their seasons happen. And when you see Shift Up Now logos on their race cars, suits or helmets, we hope you’re smiling as widely as we are, because you made this happen.”

Donations can be made to the Shift Up Now Foundation at this link.

Photo credits: Shift Up Now