Austrian heiress donates $27 million to social, climate, and left-wing groups
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Marlene Engelhorn, a 32-year-old Austrian heiress who has long criticized the lack of taxes on wealth and inheritance in Austria, has donated the majority of her fortune—25 million euros ($27 million)—to 77 organizations.
These recipients include various social, climate, and left-wing groups.
Engelhorn, who inherited tens of millions due to what she describes as a "birth lottery," has been vocal about the need for systemic changes in wealth distribution. In January, she announced that a panel representing the Austrian public would decide how to allocate the funds without her intervention. The distribution list was revealed on Tuesday.
"A significant portion of my inherited wealth, which granted me power simply because of my birth, has now been redistributed in line with democratic principles," Engelhorn stated. Her spokesperson confirmed that the donation represents the "overwhelming bulk" of her wealth, although she retains an undisclosed amount.
The panel evaluated the impacts of wealth inequality and deliberated on topics such as democracy, tax justice, and social inequality. Engelhorn, a descendant of Friedrich Engelhorn, the founder of German chemicals giant BASF, inherited the money from her grandmother, Gertraud Engelhorn-Vechiatto, who passed away in 2022.
One of the panel's objectives was to support a fairer wealth distribution, increased transparency, and better data on large wealth accumulations, according to panel member Elisabeth Klein, a retail employee.
Among the larger donations, over a million euros each were allocated to the Momentum Institute, a left-wing think tank, and Attac Austria, an organization opposing neoliberal economic policies and deregulated financial markets. The donations varied from 40,000 euros for climate change data-based reporting initiatives to 1.6 million euros for the Austrian Nature Conservation Federation, reported Reuters.
The donations also addressed issues such as housing, integration, women's rights, and poverty. Engelhorn urged political actors to respond to the representative group's actions, calling for further debate on these critical issues.
