'I'll have to find a job' - Heiress who donated all her inheritance

Marlene Engelhorn became famous in January this year when information about the huge inheritance the 32-year-old received from her grandmother came to light.

Engelhorn, who comes from Austria, convened a group of 50 citizens to come up with a way to divide EUR 25 million. This is the vast majority of its decline, reports the BBC. The group met from March to June over six weekends in Salzburg to determine how to use the estate.

According to the selected Austrians, the funds should be transferred to 77 different charities - not only those dealing with environmental protection, education, integration, health and social issues but also those related to the fight against poverty, supporting people in the homelessness crisis and organisations working for affordable housing in Austria.

However, according to the BBC, the smallest donation was EUR 40,000 and went to an initiative dealing with research on climate change. The largest donation was EUR 1.6 million to the Austrian Federation for Nature Conservation.

Beneficiaries also include left-wing and Catholic organisations, including Caritas. The assets will be transferred gradually - the donations have been planned over the next few years.

Marlene Engelhorn inherited millions when her grandmother Traudl Engelhorn-Vechiatto died in September 2022. The husband of the Austrian philanthropist - Friedrich Engelhorn - was the founder of the German chemical and pharmaceutical company BASF. Friedrich also worked for the development of science and willingly supported charity activities.

After her husband's death, the American "Forbes" calculated Traudl Engelhorn-Vechiatto's fortune at $4.2 billion. i.e. EUR 3.8 billion.

Granddaughter Marlene announced in 2021, before her grandmother's death, that at least 90% of the inherited sum would be donated to charity and environmental organisations.

"A significant part of the inherited wealth has now been distributed in accordance with democratic values. The inheritance brought me to power because of my birth, and this is contrary to all democratic principles," the 32-year-old said in her statement.

In the past, Engelhorn had called for the reintroduction of inheritance tax in Austria. This was abolished in 2008.

"Something is wrong that I inherit millions and am not taxed, while someone works full-time, maybe even two jobs, has children, a loan, and every euro earned is taxed," she said in January.

What's the plan for the 32-year-old? "I will have to find a job and earn money like 99% of the population does," she admits, quoted by The Guardian. The goal is to completely get rid of the inheritance.

This article was originally published by Onet.