Carl Zeiss Foundation
A unique corporate model
The Carl Zeiss Foundation is the sole shareholder of Carl Zeiss AG and SCHOTT AG. The Foundation is not permitted to sell the shares of its two companies, as specified in the Foundation Statute. Because of this exceptional arrangement, ZEISS and SCHOTT have a unique company model.
A grand vision
Shaping the future with sustainability
The Carl Zeiss Foundation is one of the oldest company-affiliated foundations in Germany. Its main function is to ensure the long-term future of the two foundation companies and the promotion of science.
With the dividends of Carl Zeiss AG and SCHOTT AG, the Carl Zeiss Foundation provides funding for research and teaching in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Funding is awarded to projects and individuals in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Thuringia – the federal states in which the foundation and the foundation companies are registered. A foundation administration that is independent of the companies is responsible for all funding activities.
The Carl Zeiss Foundation was founded in 1889 in Jena, Germany, by physicist and entrepreneur Ernst Abbe with support from the founder of SCHOTT, Otto Schott. It is now one of the largest private foundations in Germany providing scientific funding.
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