DONOR-ADVISED FUND FOR EUROPE
A New Way of Giving
For philanthropists, family offices, and wealth advisors in Europe, giving is notoriously complex, slow, and burdened by legal and administrative friction - especially when money crosses borders. bcause is the philanthropic infrastructure built to solve this.
No. 1 Philanthropy Platform
BUILT ALONGSIDE NEXT GEN WEALTHHOLDERS
Over 30 million € mobilized
B-Corp
WHAT IS BCAUSE?
We provide Digital Foundation Accounts
Global philanthropy is in the midst of its most significant transformation in a generation. Philanthropists who move beyond traditional models are creating greater impact, more efficiently.
bcause provides the modern infrastructure that makes this possible, offering digital foundation accounts modeled after Donor Advised Funds. Supported by a non-profit trust foundation with an independent board, complemented by a community of leaders transforming philanthropy.
Known from:
0m+
0m+
Current transactions
4,000+
4,000+
Users
10+
10+
Supported by 30+ investors
400k+
400k+
NGOs
50+
50+
Members of exclusive major donor community
OUR APPROACH
Legal structure, impact opportunities and community in one place.
bcause connects three levels for impactful giving: The digital foundation account as part of a charitable trust foundation, flexibly managed via a digital platform. An international range of charitable funding and investment opportunities. And the invitation to connect with other philanthropists for new perspectives and collective action.
Why bcause
"Next-gen philanthropists don't want to spend their time on paperwork. They'd rather spend it on the causes they care about. Internationally, donor-advised funds made that the norm. We're building that infrastructure for Europe."
Felix Oldenburg
Co-Founder bcause and philanthropy expert
01 Legally Robust Structure
Digital Foundation Accounts,
set up on the go
A bcause Professional Foundation is a digital foundation account modeled on the donor-advised fund (DAF). It offers flexibility and double impact for your giving: you can grant your contributions right away or take your time and invest your balance sustainably. This way, money is already doing good before it reaches a cause.
All in one place
See your balance, invite members, and track receipts and grants at a glance.
Invest for impact
Invest your unallocated funds sustainably and grow them for future giving.
Support any cause
Give to more than 500,000 organizations worldwide with a tax receipt valid in your country. Rr choose from curated portfolios.
“With my foundation, Climate Impact Strategies, I invest to support the energy transition. And thus help solution-oriented approaches move forward.”
Christian Vollmann, Entrepreneur & Impact Investor
Climate Impact Strategies
03 International Community
Where philanthropists from around the world connect
The Club Neues Geben is a closed space for people who carry responsibility for wealth. Based on confidential, genuine encounters, members find strategic and personal guidance for their own giving. The network is open for bcause Professional members.
Katharina Bauch
Head of Community
FAQ
What people want to know before the first conversation.
What is bcause?
Based in Berlin, bcause is the digital infrastructure for philanthropy. Our goal is to make giving simpler, more flexible, and more effective.
At its heart is a digital giving account modeled on the donor-advised fund. You commit capital to charitable purposes today and decide later where and when it goes. Until then, it can be invested with an impact focus. bcause takes care of administration, documentation, and tax receipts.
You can support more than 500,000 charitable organizations or choose from curated portfolios. And in Club Neues Geben, our community of givers, you'll find guidance through exchange with others.
Founded in 2021, bcause is a certified B Corp and a member of the Transparent Civil Society Initiative (Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft).
What is a digital foundation account, and what does it have to do with a donor-advised fund?
A digital foundation account with bcause is a personal fund within the non-profit bcause Treuhandstiftung (trust foundation). It is functionally comparable to a DAF (Donor-Advised Fund): capital can be provided today for charitable purposes and a decision on where it should have an impact can be made later at leisure. The deposit is treated as a donation for tax purposes. The corresponding donation receipt is automatically generated after receipt of the deposit and can be retrieved in the foundation account. Which organizations are to be supported is controlled individually. The trustee checks these proposals and is responsible for the use of funds. Unlike a classic foundation, a digital foundation account does not require its own legal form, its own administration, or any minimum capital.
How does the Professional Foundation differ from a traditional foundation?
The Professional Foundation is the digital foundation account of bcause based on the principle of a Donor-Advised Fund. It offers many of the design options of a classic foundation, without the need to set up and manage an independent foundation. A classic legally competent foundation requires sufficient assets, in practice often at least 50,000 euros. In addition, there is the recognition process, its own bodies, accounting, and tax returns. A notary is only required in special cases. Setting it up often takes several weeks or months. The Professional Foundation is set up digitally and managed by bcause. It has no minimum capital and is ready to go in just a few minutes. It costs 590 euros per foundation per year to use.
Who is bcause suitable for?
bcause is aimed at individuals and groups who want to use part of their assets for long-term charitable purposes and are looking for a reliable structure without their own administrative apparatus. Typical occasions include an inheritance, a company sale or exit, existing funding that is to be bundled into a strategy, and families who want to make funding decisions together across generations. There is no minimum capital. Advisors and partners, such as family offices or philanthropy consultancies, manage several digital foundation accounts for their clients in a single access point at bcause. And non-profit organizations are the other side of the platform: they receive funding from the digital foundations and can maintain a free donation account with digital fundraising tools at bcause.
Are contributions to a digital foundation tax-deductible?
Yes. The tax advantage arises at the time of the deposit in the Digital Foundation Account. Deposits into the Professional Foundation, the digital foundation account of bcause, are treated for tax purposes as donations to the non-profit bcause Treuhandstiftung. bcause automatically issues a donation receipt for this. In principle, individuals can deduct donations up to 20 percent of the total amount of their income. Higher amounts can be carried forward to subsequent years. Different limits may apply to companies. In principle, the special deduction for foundation assets to be preserved in perpetuity does not apply to regular deposits into a Professional Foundation. Individual assessment should be handled by your own tax advisor.
Who controls the capital, and how secure is it?
First things first: The capital of a digital foundation is not held by bcause GmbH, but in a non-profit trust foundation. It is officially recognized as a non-profit organization by the state, and an independent foundation board monitors its transactions. Each Professional Foundation is managed there as a separate special fund, separate from other digital foundations and from the assets of the platform operator. Once contributed, capital remains bound to non-profit purposes. It can be distributed to non-profit organizations or invested with an impact orientation, but it cannot flow back into a private account. bcause is a member of the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft and discloses its structure, decision-makers, as well as the source and use of funds.
What is the Club Neues Geben?
The Club Neues Geben is the confidential circle of bcause for people who bear responsibility for assets and wish to strategically develop their commitment. In monthly formats, professional impulses from the impact sector meet the exchange of experience among members. This is complemented by personal networking and guidance for concrete projects. The club is open to everyone who already donates a five-figure sum annually or wishes to set this as their goal. The exchange is the third pillar of the bcause principle, alongside the structure of the digital foundation and the impact through organizations and portfolios.
