For the seventh time, the Association for Non-Profit Foundations (VgS), founded in 2014, celebrated the European Day of Foundations today with a high-profile conference in Vienna. Under the motto “Overcoming crises, shaping the future”, the focus was on the sustainable impact of non-profit foundations in overcoming the multiple crises of our time. According to a current study by the association, non-profit foundations in Austria promote the common good with 115 million euros annually – 30 percent more than previously assumed. The highlight of the event was the award of Gabriele and Gerhard Ströck as donors of the year. With the WE&ME Foundation, the family has taken a groundbreaking step in the research and treatment of the severe somatic multisystem disease ME/CFS.
Personal concern is one of the strongest motivations for charitable commitment. The charitable foundation of this year’s founder, Gabriele and Gerhard Ströck, also had its origins in a stroke of fate within the family: Christoph and Philipp, two of Gabriele and Gerhard Ströck’s three sons, are suffering from ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). Behind this disease, which is unknown to many people, is a severe dysregulation of the nervous system, the immune system and the metabolism, which means that those affected have an extreme impairment in their performance and sometimes even force them to be confined to bed. “According to international estimates and projections, up to 80,000 people in Austria alone are suffering from it – mostly unrecognized because ME/CFS is not recorded in the Austrian health system and misdiagnoses often occur that classify this illness as a psychosomatic form.”
give Gabriele and Gerhard Ströck Insight and carry out: “This has resulted in basic research for ME/CFS being extremely neglected. The German Society for ME/CFS compares this gap with a research backlog of around 40 years. The result is that there are currently neither enough trained doctors and specialized clinical contact points nor therapy or sufficient social security in Austria.”
This grievance was the central reason for the Ströck family to found the non-profit WE&ME Foundation in 2020. Its mission is to call on politicians and institutions in the health system to take action in order to eliminate medical and legal failures and to financially support scientific research.
“Within just a few years, the Ströck family has developed an effective and successful social commitment out of painful personal concern, which changes a lot, gives hope to those affected and at the same time gives decision-makers in politics and the health system a good mix of persistence, competence and respect pushes for the necessary improvements. Research projects have already been initiated in Austria, but also internationally in cooperation with universities in the USA. “All of this is intended to enable patients with this serious illness to live a better life.”
, laudator raised Rudolf Anschober the pioneering work of the WE&ME Foundation.
Günther LutschingerManaging Director of the Association for Non-Profit Foundations, emphasized the great importance of commitment to scientific progress: “With donations totaling 1 million euros, the foundation has made a significant contribution to advancing research into effective therapies and medications.”
The foundation boards Gabriele and Gerhard Ströck accepted the award with the following words: “We would like to thank the Association for Non-Profit Foundations for this important recognition, which is an important step on our way to making more people aware of this serious illness and the precarious care situation.”
In order to achieve even more, the family called for donations: “Every donation counts and 100 percent is used for international and national studies and further training measures!”
Over 7 billion euros dedicated to social projects in the long term
As part of the other conference program, personalities such as Andreas Knapp (Neighbour in Need non-profit private foundation), Peter Kaiser (Österreich Hilft Österreich), Martin Kotynek (Media Forward Fund) and Gerda Holzinger-Burgstaller (ERSTE Bank) highlighted what local non-profit foundations do in the fight against natural disasters and humanitarian suffering as well as more educational opportunities and media freedom. VgS board Günther Lutschinger gave the first insight into the latest study results on the non-profit foundation sector: “767 foundations with purely charitable purposes, 60 church foundations and around 100 charitable funds are currently active for the common good in this country. In addition – as a special feature in Austria – numerous private foundations are committed to charitable causes in addition to self-interested ones. In total, their distribution for charitable projects in 2023 was at least 115 million euros – significantly more than assumed in previous models!
A current projection of the total assets managed in non-profit foundations assumes that the lower limit is at least 7 billion euros. Depending on the performance, up to 10 billion euros are possible, which will benefit society in the long term due to the long-term structure of foundations.
Non-profit reform works, KEST taxation slows it down!
As Lutschinger emphasized, charitable foundations in Austria have again received a significant boost from the Non-Profit Reform Act, which came into force in 2024. In addition to numerous new businesses, the VgS recorded significantly more inquiries from wealthy individuals and institutions due to the improved tax laws. At the same time, the future federal government needs to pull a few levers in order to further strengthen Austria as a foundation location: “Improvements are urgently needed in the still excessive bureaucracy and the lengthy founding procedures. Above all, an important concern has been left behind in the reform: In contrast to our neighboring countries, income from charitable foundations in Austria is taxed by the KEST, which means that only 75 percent of the income goes to a good cause. Many foundations have moved to a neighboring country because they can achieve more from there!”
Further information: https://www.gemeinnuetzig-stiften.at