- Werner Wenning, Chairman
- Dr. Arend Oetker, Deputy Chairman
- Dipl.-Vw. Erwin Staudt, Deputy Chairman
- Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Utz-Hellmuth Felcht
- Dr. Karl-Ludwig Kley
- Christopher Freiherr von Oppenheim
- Georg Thyssen

The Board of Trustees, which consists of seven members, lays down the guidelines according to which the purpose of the foundation is to be achieved in detail after consulting with the Advisory Scientific Council and decides on how to use the financial resources of the foundation. It calls meetings of the Advisory Scientific Council and exercises checks and controls on its management. The Board of Trustees is complemented by cooptation.