Deadline: 08-Aug-2025
The Fritt Ord Foundation Fund supports projects that promote freedom of expression, public discourse, art, and culture. The initiatives funded should contribute to the common good and be accessible to the public.
Supported projects span various categories. For events, applicants must provide a clear description including when and where the event will take place. Book funding is rare and typically limited to small, independent publishers focusing on freedom of speech. Media and journalism projects such as article production, podcasts, radio, and TV productions can apply under the “Norwegian Journalism” programme.
Documentary film funding usually requires an application from the film producer, while theatre script development, production, and occasionally dance performances may be supported. Fritt Ord does not typically fund concerts or purely musical projects. Photography projects including photojournalism, exhibitions, and photo-books are eligible, as are podcasts that focus on documentaries or current events—fiction podcasts are not funded.
Art projects, including art films, exhibitions, and catalogues, are also eligible, as are exhibitions held at cultural institutions or museums. While most funding goes to projects in Norway or with strong Norwegian ties, Fritt Ord occasionally supports international efforts to promote freedom of expression, though this makes up a small portion of its budget.
The Foundation offers scholarships and grants for students, critics, and political cartoonists. It also has annual funding calls for Norwegian public libraries to promote literature. While academic research projects are rarely funded, nonfiction books or journalism related to research topics may be considered.
For financial allocations over NOK 300,000, Fritt Ord requires financial statements certified by a chartered accountant. Eligible projects include research on freedom of expression conducted by Norwegian institutions, international projects focused on press freedom and democracy, and documentary photography supported through special calls and ongoing funding.
Fritt Ord supports initiatives aimed at libraries, encyclopedias, and houses of literature, emphasizing knowledge communication and literature promotion. Media and journalism remain core focus areas, and grants are offered to students working on master’s theses or documentary films in fields like human rights, journalism, and democracy building.
Applicants who received support for articles must submit the articles in PDF format. Those supported for physical products, such as books or catalogues, are required to send copies to Fritt Ord. For films or audio projects like podcasts, submissions should be provided on DVD or as digital files in formats like avi, mkv, mpeg, mp4 for films, and mp3, wav, flac, or wma for audio. Files should ideally be under 2 GB.
For more information, visit Fritt Ord Foundation.
