Affluent Austrian supporter of taxation donates funds to progressive, ecological, and leftist organizations.
Marlene Engelhorn, age 32, has long spoken out against the luck of birth that granted her tens of millions and exempted her from giving anything to the government, and advocated for reform.
In January, she stated that a team picked by a pollster to represent the Austrian public would decide how to split the sum, with no input from her. The list of 77 recipients was unveiled on Tuesday.
"A significant portion of my inherited fortune, which elevated me to a position of power simply by being born, defying every democratic principle, has now been redistributed according to democratic values," Engelhorn said in a statement.
A spokesperson noted that the 25 million euros was "mostly" her wealth, though she still holds an undisclosed amount.
The panel had considered, mainly, the issue of the impacts of our uneven wealth distribution and debated on "democracy, participation, tax justice, and social inequality," Engelhorn said.
Engelhorn is a descendant of Friedrich Engelhorn, who founded the German chemicals company BASF in 1865. Her grandmother Gertraud Engelhorn-Vechiatto married his great-grandson. When Engelhorn-Vechiatto passed away in 2022, Marlene inherited a substantial sum.
One of the goals the 50-person panel, aged between 16 and 85, aimed to support was "a fairer distribution of wealth, more transparency and reporting on that issue, and better data on large wealth accumulations." One panel member, retail employee Elisabeth Klein, said in a statement.
In line with that objective, two of the four donations exceeding a million euros were given to the Momentum Institute, a left-leaning think tank, and Attac Austria, which fights against neoliberal economic policy and "unregulated financial markets."
The donations ranged from 40,000 euros (for an initiative to support data-based climate change reporting) to 1.6 million euros for the Austrian Nature Conservation Federation.
Additional topics covered included housing, integration, women's rights, and combating poverty.
"Now it's up to the political figures to uphold what this group representing the Austrian population has symbolized," Engelhorn said, calling for further discussion on these topics.
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Marlene Engelhorn's donations also reached various organizations in Europe, including Attac Germany, a sister organization to Attac Austria that shares the same mission of fighting against neoliberal economic policies and unregulated financial markets. The world needs more individuals like Marlene who recognize the importance of wealth distribution and social equity, extending their philanthropy beyond their national borders.
