Inheriting the wealth from her grandmother, Traudl Engelhorn-Vechiatto, after her passing in September 2022, Marlene then reached out to the 50 Austrians to seek their input on how to best redistribute the wealth, as reported by the New York Times.
Over six weekends, the group, named the “Good Council for Redistribution,” convened with experts from various fields, including poverty research and law. The council ultimately recommended distributing the funds to 77 charities over several years, focusing on causes such as women’s shelters, children’s charities, and climate crisis organizations, as noted by Business Insider.
The largest portion of the inheritance was earmarked for the environmental organization Naturschutzbund Osterreich, with other potential recipients including the World Inequality Lab, Reporters Without Borders, and the charity Caritas.
Participants in the council were provided with travel expenses and childcare support.
Marlene has been an outspoken proponent of wealth redistribution and has previously voiced support for the implementation of inheritance taxes.
