Editing Ian Thorpe (section)

===Philanthropy===
[[File:Thorpe Freeman and McMullen.jpg|thumb|300px|Ian Thorpe, [[Cathy Freeman]] and [[Jeff McMullen]] were among some of the speakers at the ''Close the Gap'' launch.]]

More recently, Thorpe has also emerged as a philanthropist, starting the charity ''[[Ian Thorpe's Fountain for Youth]]'' in 2000.<ref>Hunter, p. 248.</ref><ref name=s114>Swanton, p. 114.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Heffernan |first=Madeleine |date=2015-02-04 |title=Ian Thorpe charity in liquidation |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/ian-thorpe-charity-in-liquidation-20150203-1353rt.html |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |language=en}}</ref> The organisation raises funds for research into childhood illnesses and sponsors a school in Beijing for orphaned children with disabilities.<ref name=hp/><ref>Swanton, p. 148.</ref> In addition, it works with [[The Fred Hollows Foundation]] to improve health standards and living conditions in [[Indigenous Australians|Australian aboriginal]] communities.<ref name="gsiprofile"/><ref name=hp>Hunter, pp. 331–333.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hollows.org/content/TextOnly.aspx?s=168|title= Jeff McMullen|access-date=16 November 2006 |publisher=The Fred Hollows Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820190338/http://www.hollows.org/content/TextOnly.aspx?s=168 |archive-date=20 August 2006}}</ref> Citing a wish to "...work directly with our Aboriginal partners and not compete for the meagre funding available from public and corporate donations" the organisation was [[liquidated]] in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Ian Thorpe charity in liquidation|url = http://www.smh.com.au/national/ian-thorpe-charity-in-liquidation-20150204-1353rt.html|access-date = 8 July 2015|work =[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |last = Heffernan|first = Madeline|date = 4 February 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150622071835/http://www.smh.com.au/national/ian-thorpe-charity-in-liquidation-20150204-1353rt.html|archive-date = 22 June 2015|url-status = live}}</ref>