For several years, the Association for Charitable Foundations (Verband für gemeinnütziges Stiften – VgS), Austria’s national CFSO, supported by the Mott Foundation, has been running a support programme for community foundation initiatives. The Community Foundation Mühlviertel, the first foundation to emerge from this programme, is now beginning its operational work.
Marking the occasion with an official launch, the new Community Foundation presents itself as a participatory foundation looking for endowment, donations, and volunteers – a concept new to the Austrian public, which receives significant media attention on television, in print and online media.
While the founding constellation is unique in Europe to date – the foundation was initiated by a regional LEADER association[1]—its goal follows the classic global model of community foundations: to sustainably strengthen community engagement and mobilize community philanthropy in the region.
First Call for Proposals: Focus on “A Good Place to Live”
Community Foundation Mühlviertel is immediately launching its first funding call. To encourage as many people as possible to participate, the first call addresses individuals and initiatives contributing to the broad topic of “improving the quality of life for children and young people, families, elderly persons, and people with disabilities.” Volunteer-driven initiatives will be given priority. After the submission deadline at the end of March, applicants will publicly present their projects, offering them the opportunity to refine their case and receive direct feedback from the jury.
“Mühlviertel thrives on cooperation—this is the potential we aim to foster and to make life in our region even more liveable”, emphasises the board team, which also includes VgS Vice President Franz Karl Prüller. “The focus of the funding call is to enable civic engagement in areas where small amounts of funding are often all that is missing to make implementation possible—many good ideas fail due to minor financial hurdles. By supporting community-driven projects, the foundation aims to motivate people to strengthen quality of life in the region through their own initiatives and to actively shape the community.” Particular emphasis is placed on smaller projects that often struggle due to limited financial resources, which discourage committed community members to implement their own ideas and actively contribute to shaping community life.
Charitable Foundations in Austria
Dr. Günther Lutschinger, CEO of VgS, provides an overview of the Austrian foundation sector: “Foundations are still far less widespread in Austria than in other countries. However, the sector is growing considerably. Around 950 charitable foundations and funds make a significant contribution to financing social projects in Austria. Altogether, they invest approximately €130 million annually in educational equity, basic research, innovative social initiatives, environmental protection, arts and culture, and many other fields. In rural areas, however, they have not yet been able to fully realize their potential compared to the dominant association-based structure. This is where community foundations offer an ideal model.”
For further information on Gemeinschaftsstiftung Mühlviertel, please contact program manager Katrin Schett k.schett@muehlviertleralm.at and discover the website created on a voluntary basis by Matthias Schett https://gemeinschaftsstiftung-muehlviertel.at/
[1] LEADER is a European programme, with the aim to involve local actors in rural areas in the development of their own regions by forming Local Actions Groups (LAGs) and designing and implementing strategies. The LEADER programme already exists for almost 30 years and very popular in Austria, with 83 LEADER regions across the country.
