Else Mayer was the daughter of the German jeweler
Victor Mayer. She spent her childhood and youth in the family business before she became a religious sister. After she visited several convents, she decided to found a new institute, the
Erlöserbund, in 1916. With the support of her family, she bought buildings in
Bonn and started to support young female students who received housing from her. The Erlöserbund was closed in 2005 and turned into a charitable foundation. The Else Mayer Foundation presents an annual award, the
Else Mayer Award, to applicants who are deemed to qualify as ideological successors to Else Mayer. The award is for 4000
euros.
German Education Minister Annette Schavan was the inaugural recipient of this award in 2006. The German
feminist Alice Schwarzer received the award in 2007. == Legacy ==