Carlsberg Foundation

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Carlsberg Foundation is a Danish non-profit started in 1876 by J. C. Jacobsen. He gave some of his Carlsberg Brewery shares to fund science and culture, creating the Carlsberg Laboratory and the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Palace.

Over time, the foundation expanded to support scientific research and, through the Tuborg Foundation, social projects. It was originally set up to run the Carlsberg Laboratory.

Key milestones:
- 1878: The foundation began funding the Museum of National History.
- 1887: After J. C. Jacobsen’s death, the foundation inherited the remaining brewery shares.
- 1902: Carl Jacobsen started the New Carlsberg Foundation to run New Carlsberg. When the two breweries merged, the New Carlsberg Foundation’s duties were added to the Carlsberg Foundation, including Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.
- 1931: A scholarship program named after J. C. Jacobsen began.
- 1957: The foundation sponsored the Danish excavation of Tell Shemshara in Iraq.
- 1991: It took over the Tuborg Foundation’s responsibilities after Carlsberg bought Tuborg in 1970.

Ownership rules and shares:
- The 1887 will required the foundation to own at least 51% of the brewery.
- In 2007, the Danish Foundation Oversight Authority clarified that the foundation should own at least 25% of the brewery’s capital assets and 51% of the voting shares.
- Carlsberg shares come in two classes: A-class with 20 votes per share and B-class with 2 votes per share.
- As of 31 December 2024, the foundation owned 29.63% of Carlsberg’s share capital and controlled 77.25% of the voting power.