The Carlsberg Foundation was established in 1876, when J.C. Jacobsen secured the future of his brewery by transferring it to the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. Since then, the Carlsberg Foundation has overseen the Carlsberg Group, ensuring that the brewery is run with the focus on innovation and high-quality products, and supported basic research within the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. All in accordance with the Brewer’s wishes and vision. J.C. Jacobsen was particularly far-sighted when, in 1876, he created a Deed of Gift transferring Carlsberg to the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters.

At the time, the Academy served as a meeting-place for the Danish Elite researchers, as is the case  to this very day. J.C. Jacobsen's decision was ground-breaking visionary and lasting. His idea was that the Carlsberg Foundation, with its roots in science, should ensure that, even after his death, Carlsberg would strive to continuously improve beer brewing and produce the highest-quality products. When J.C. Jacobsen dies during a visit to Rome on 1887, the Carlsberg Foundation assumes ownership and management of Old Carlsberg. The Carlsberg Group is currently the only global brewer owned by a commercial foundation.