The Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation), legally located in Heidenheim an der Brenz and Jena, Germany, and with its administrative headquarters in Stuttgart, is the sole shareholder of the two companies Carl Zeiss AG and Schott AG.

[2] The statutes of the foundation emphasize the social responsibility of the companies and the importance of a fair treatment of the employees.

[1] In fiscal year 2007/2008 more than 30,000 people were employed by the foundation's companies and their subsidiaries, with total sales of over 4.9 billion Euros.

[4] In 1919 Otto Schott also donated his shares to the foundation, giving it the sole proprietorship of the glass works, as well.

The peculiarity of the original legal structure of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung was its definition as a business entity, rather than its current form as holding company.