ÖGK PS 2015 Crusted structures and fossilization of a private foundation accelerate its decline. Inappropriate influences and power struggles over positions can typically cause much greater damage to foundations than changes in the tax environment or a low-interest phase ever could. Of the currently nearly 3,200 registered private foundations in Austria, many are likely to fail and disappear in the coming decades, with only those that embrace change surviving. A private foundation has the best chance of survival if it actively confronts the challenges of its time, behaves flexibly, and ensures professional and independent leadership and oversight. Reliable foundation governance prevents liability cases, conflicts between generations, and external attacks.