On 20 January 1902, Carl Jacobsen and Ottilia Jacobsen signed a deed bestowing the New Carlsberg Brewery on the Carlsberg Foundation and founding the New Carlsberg Foundation. As laid out in its charter, the Carlsberg Foundation promotes the sciences, while the New Carlsberg Foundation promotes art (and art research).
As the overarching foundation, The Carlsberg Foundation holds a controlling interest in the Carlsberg breweries. However, the foundation is required to pass a portion of the dividends from its shares on to the New Carlsberg Foundation.
The Carlsberg Foundation holds a certain influence over the activities of the New Carlsberg Foundations, including the appointment of board members.
The New Carlsberg Foundation is headed by a board, comprising five members, one of whom is chairman of the board. The chairman is employed by the board full-time, while the two other members serve on the board alongside other occupation, again, typically within the arts.
The grants given by the New Carlsberg Foundation fall into three main categories: donations of works of art to museums, decorative projects in public spaces and art research, while a non-earmarked fund is available for other art-related purposes. The foundation rests on the fundamental belief that art plays a major role for people’s ability to engage with the world in a critical and nuanced manner. Therefore, art should be made accessible to all – regardless of age, ethnicity and educational background.
The New Carlsberg Foundation has historically developed a particular obligation towards the New Carlsberg Glyptotek, an art museum, which, like the foundation, was founded by Carl Jacobsen.
The New Carlsberg Foundation thus contributes to the operation of the New Carlsberg Glyptotek, and board members of the Foundation also serve on the board of the museum. The chairman of the foundation is also the chairman of the board of the Glyptotek.