The Private Foundation Rules at Fifty: How Did We Get Them and Do They Meet Current Needs?

The Private Foundation Rules at Fifty: How Did We Get Them and Do They Meet Current Needs?

The Private Foundation Excise Tax on Self-Dealing: Contours, Comparisons, and Character

The Private Foundation Excise Tax on Self-Dealing: Contours, Comparisons, and Character

Discretionary powers in the Austrian Private Foundation Law

The fact that only an objective qualification of the foundation board is decisive with regard to its liability is sufficiently ruled by the Austrian Supreme Court. However, in the end the board member is left alone with the question of what is required in concrete terms. A recent decision of the Austrian Supreme Court granting the foundation’s executive board an extremely wide scope for decision-making where the foundation statute does not provide detailed guidelines came as a surprise. This article deals with the issues faced by foundation board members in avoiding liability when exercising their powers and the need to limit the wide discretionary powers of such board members by creating an adequate statutory framework.

The Belgian private foundation Anno 2020

The Belgian private foundation has now been in existence for 18 years, but it is still a relatively unknown legal entity. The private foundation is, however, a suitable vehicle for wealth and inheritance planning. The foundation makes it possible to segregate assets in order to achieve a certain goal, usually family-related. The private foundation is also subject to a favourable tax regime. In addition, an important benefit is the flexibility that characterizes the private foundation. In this article, the features and benefits are explained in detail.

Russian Family Foundations: benefits and pitfalls for international clients with Russian connections

Since 2018, Russian law has provided for the concept of a “Hereditary Foundation”, a private foundation which can be established after the demise of the testator and which can act in a way similar to a common-law trust. It is an option for complex estate planning under Russian law. It has attracted both interest and controversy, with many concerned that the gray area, lacunae, and inconsistencies in the legislation may prevent its effective implementation. The authors analyze the practical challenges in this area and consider whether and how this vehicle fares in competition with the non-Russian structures traditionally used by Russian private clients for estate and succession planning.

Race, Gender, Philanthropy and the Politics of Knowledge

Historically, education has often varied by curriculum, access, and stature based on location, race, gender, economic status, religion, and time period. In addition, many educational institutions and much scholarly research have been significantly impacted by private foundation support. This essay discusses the politics of knowledge as it relates to gender and race as well as the impact of philanthropy on the production of knowledge with these groups. While many aspects of these themes have changed in the past sixty years, many of them remain highly contested.

The Bosnian Pyramid Phenomenon

The Bosnian town of Visoko has in recent years become a New Age pilgrimage site. Several formations in the landscape have been branded as ancient pyramids and tunnels. These purported monuments from bygone times are administrated by a private foundation led by the Bosnian American entrepreneur Semir Osmanagić. His claim is that the structures at Visoko were built tens of thousands of years ago by an advanced civilization that mastered a technology that enabled the concentration of healing energies. This controversial assertion is supported by invoking the supposed scientific proofs for the existence of these energies and by prominently displaying various legitimizing visual and material props. The prospect of coming into contact with the mysterious powers emanating from the site attracts numerous visitors and has led to the commodification of the pyramid and tunnel complex.