Austrian-German heiress Marlene Engelhorn allowed fifty members of the public to donate her inheritance to various organisations, including a homeless aid charity and a nature conservation association.
Marlene Engelhorn has redistributed over 25 million euros of her inheritance to various organisations.
Among the 77 organisations who will receive the money, 300,000 will be donated to the Autonomous Austrian Women’s Shelters. Nature restoration charity the Común Foundation will get 100,400 euros.
The Austrian Nature Conservation Association, homeless organisation Nuenerhaus, the think-tank The Momentum Institute and NGO Attac will each receive over one million euros.
Other recipients include inclusive football clubs and organisations dedicated to affordable housing.
The 31-year-old Austrian-German set up a group of 50 random citizens in Salzburg who deliberated over several months on how best to divide her fortune.
In deciding how she would give away her wealth Engelhorn sent out 10,000 invitations that landed in letterboxes across Austria. Those who chose to take part formed the Good Council for Redistribution.
Selected members were offered a series of lectures including from philosophers and economics professors to inspire their choices on who would ultimately get Engelhorn’s fortune.
The project insists it is ultimately about taking steps to answer questions of social and fiscal justice.
Engelhorn is the descendent of Friedrich Engelhorn, the founder of German pharmaceuticals founder BASF. The Engelhorn family previously owned the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Mannheim. Forbes estimates the family’s net worth to be $4.2 billion.
Inheritance tax was abolished in Austria in 2008, making it one of the few European countries that do not impose a tax on inheritance.
Engelhorn has campaigned for years that the Austrian government should impose a tax on wealth such as her own, arguing that it was unfair she should receive the fortune despite having not worked for it.
In a statement, Engelhorn said, “If politicians don’t do their job and redistribute, then I have to redistribute my wealth myself.”
Earlier this year, Engelhorn told German news agency DPA that she would still keep a part of the money for herself in order to easily transition into a job.
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