Report from the "Family Foundation in Practice" Conference in Wrocław - JWW Accounting office Poland, Wroclaw, Warsaw

Report from the “Family Foundation in Practice” Conference in Wrocław

Succession, law, taxes, assets and accounting of family foundations through the eyes of practitioners.

The notarial deed and the registry entry are only the beginning. Full accounting books, benefits for beneficiaries, an audit that examines far more than the financial statements. Sounds complicated? That’s because it is. For many founders it is a thicket of obligations. At JWW, we help untangle it.

That is why on 30 September 2026 we co-organized the conference “Family Foundation in Practice” at Concordia Design in Wrocław. We wanted to talk about practice, not theory: what happens to a foundation after it is established and what entrepreneurs face on a daily basis.

What we talked about

The event was devoted to succession, law, taxes, assets and accounting of family foundations. The program featured presentations by experts from various perspectives:

the family foundation as an element of succession and protection of a family business,
the foundation from a legal perspective, i.e. how it works and what to watch out for,
the foundation from a tax perspective: facts, myths and the most common misunderstandings,
accounting and the day-to-day functioning of the foundation,
the foundation’s assets, i.e. investing and capital management,
a panel of entrepreneurs, “Why did I establish a Family Foundation?”.

Our presentation: what happens after the foundation is established

In the part devoted to accounting and day-to-day functioning, we showed that establishing a foundation is only the beginning of the journey. A few conclusions that kept coming up in conversations with participants:

The books must be organized from day one, not only once the first income, investment or benefit appears. The first question we ask every foundation is: who keeps the books, and since when?
The statute and the accounting must speak the same language. The assets the foundation holds, the benefits beneficiaries receive and the activity the foundation may conduct must be reflected in the accounting policy and the chart of accounts.
Paying out a benefit is not just a bank transfer. You need to determine the basis, amount and date, settle taxes, record the benefit in the books and ensure the foundation’s liquidity.
Good accounting is information for the management board, not just an obligation: how much in assets we have, where they are placed, what we earn on them and which risks require a response.
A good audit result is worked toward from the first day of keeping the books.

Facts and myths worth dispelling

Quite a few oversimplifications have grown up around family foundations. Among the most common:

that a family foundation means no taxes,
that it is only for very large assets,
that once established it practically runs itself,
that it can invest just like an ordinary company.

None of these is true. A foundation requires ongoing service, and the scope of its permitted activity is limited by law.

Entrepreneurs’ panel

The added value of the event was the panel “Why did I establish a Family Foundation?”. Mirosław Jakubiak, entrepreneur and investor associated with the TEMAR Group, and Zbigniew Maćków, architect and entrepreneur, shared their own experiences. The stories of people who have gone through the process best show the practice.

Acknowledgments

We co-organized the conference with partners whom we sincerely thank for the excellent cooperation: the British Polish Chamber of Commerce, the Family Business Institute, SDZ Legal, Borkowski & Partners, LFI DM, and Concordia Design, where the event was held.

We also thank all participants for their questions and conversations during the networking session.