The organisational chart shows the two main areas of activity of the Carlsberg Foundation, as set out in the Foundation’s Charter:
1) Carlsberg A/S, which the Foundation operates and manages;
2) the Carlsberg Foundation’s departments, which the Foundation funds.
The Foundation’s funds come from dividends on the Carlsberg Foundation’s shares in the Carlsberg Group.
The relationships between the company and the respective departments are as follows:
The Carlsberg Foundation was established in 1876 by Brewer J.C. Jacobsen. The Foundation has two objectives: to be an active, dynamic, adaptable investor with a controlling interest in Carlsberg A/S and to manage the philanthropic departments, including the distribution of funds for basic scientific research within the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. The Carlsberg Foundation is the parent foundation in the Carlsberg family. It is the Foundation’s board of directors that appoints the management in the other parts of the Carlsberg family.
Carlsberg A/S is a global brewer with 41,000 employees, chiefly spread over three regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia. The Carlsberg Foundation is the principal shareholder in the Carlsberg Group. The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, in accordance with the Foundation’s Charter, appoints five of its members to constitute the board of directors of the Carlsberg Foundation. Three out of the five board members also serve as members of Carlsberg’s Supervisory Board, with the chair of the Carlsberg Foundation serving as deputy chairman*. The Carlsberg Foundation aims to ensure that the Carlsberg Group continues to develop as a modern, international brewery that adds value for its shareholders and that it is run with the focus on research, innovation, high-quality products and social responsibility.
The Carlsberg Laboratory was set up by J.C. Jacobsen in 1876. The Laboratory remains to this day internationally acclaimed within its research field. The research focuses on four areas essential to brewing: raw materials; yeast and fermentation; ingredients; and brewing technology.
Free research funds: The Carlsberg Foundation’s free research funds are allocated each year as grants to researchers conducting basic research within the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. In awarding grants, the Carlsberg Foundation focuses on talent development and internationalisation of the research at Danish universities. All grants are awarded to the best researchers with the best projects. The Foundation also considers it important that the research should be conducted for the benefit of society and help to address some of the world’s “Grand Challenges”.
The Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle was founded by J.C. Jacobsen in 1878 based on the philosophy that we best understand the present by knowing the past. The museum relates Danish history through paintings, furniture and decorative art. There are continuous exhibitions on important events and themes in Danish history with an international outlook, exemplified in particular by exhibitions on Denmark’s interactions with Russia and China.
The Tuborg Foundation has the stated objective “to promote socially beneficial projects and provide particular support for Danish industry”. The Tuborg Foundation supports major projects that bring the business world and civil society closer together. Projects that make it easier for companies to assume an active role in interacting with voluntary associations and organisations. The Foundation supports voluntary associations through donations, know-how and partnerships that can help strengthen tradition and revitalise volunteering.
The New Carlsberg Foundation was established by Brewer J.C. Jacobsen’s son, Carl Jacobsen, in 1902. The New Carlsberg Foundation supports art and culture in Denmark. This is done by donating works to museums, supporting public ornamentation initiatives and funding art research, as well as generally by “developing and satisfying the appreciation of and desire for the arts in Denmark”, as the Charter states. The Foundation also supports the running of Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is an internationally acclaimed museum housing unique collections of Egyptian and antique sculptures, Danish Golden Age paintings and French impressionism. It also presents changing exhibitions that, in various ways, thematise the museum’s focus areas and collections. The Glyptotek is part of the Carlsberg family through its association with the New Carlsberg Foundation, which contributes financially to the running of the museum through annual grants.
*From 2023, only two of the Carlsberg Foundation's five board members will serve as members of Carlsberg’s Supervisory board.