The by-laws
The Carnegie Foundation was set up as a federal foundation and was run by the Federal Administration as such for more than 60 years. In 2008 it was given a new foundation charter following a revision of the law on foundations and since then it has been a private foundation like all other foundations.
Until that point, the Head of the Department of Home Affairs, as Andrew Carnegie had requested, had also been the President of the Foundation Board. Pascal Couchepin was the last Federal Councillor to hold this position. Now it is the task of the Foundation Board to appoint one person to be President – and all the other executive members of the Board. At present National Councillor Edith Graf-Litscher is President of the Carnegie Foundation. Under the new foundation charter, the Foundation Board must comprise at least three natural persons or representatives of legal entities, who basically act on a voluntary basis. As long as the law on foundations and foundation charter permit it, the make-up of the Foundation Board will continue to reflect Andrew Carnegie’s wishes as far as possible.