The Fritt Ord Foundation
The Fritt Ord Foundation is a private non-profit foundation that seeks to promote freedom of expression, public debate, art and culture.
The Genocide in Gaza and Big Tech
Sunday, 19 October 2025 at 3.30 PM at Cinemateket, Oslo
Fritt Ord, Masahat and Oslo Dokumentarkino invite you to a lecture and conversation with Nadim Nashif about Big Tech’s complisity in the genocide in Gaza.
New Oxford fellow – How Journalists Interview “Monsters and Victims”
VG journalist Håkon F. Høydal has been awarded Fritt Ord’s journalism fellowship at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford in the spring of 2026.
His project explores what journalists can learn from new trauma research when interviewing both “monsters and victims” in crime and abuse cases.
What's happening in Georgia?
Monday 29 September 2025 at 6.30–8 pm at Vega Scene, Oslo
“While art is often relegated to the bottom of financial priorities, it paradoxically becomes the first target of dictators.”
Fritt Ord invites you to a presentation of a hyper-relevant, upcoming documentary film “Untitled” from Georgia and a conversation with two film directors about the political developments in the country in collaboration with Oslo Dokumentarkino, Stray Dogs Norway, Viken Filmsenter and the Norwegian Film Federation. Journalist Ingerid Salvesen is the moderator. For the safety of the filmmakers, we will not mention their names in advance.
“This documentary is not for the faint of heart” New grants awarded in September 2025.
Integral Film has been given grant for the production of the documentary “Rehearsal for Justice” by Palestinian filmmaker Dalia AlKury. “The film is not for the faint of heart,” says the director. See all the projects that received funding in September 2025.
Free Media Awards for 2025
The Fritt Ord Foundation and the ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius hereby announce that the Free Media Awards for 2025 will be presented to media outlets and journalists from Ukraine, Georgia, Hungary, Russia, Belarus and Azerbaijan
Greater diversity among journalists results in greater diversity among sources
A recently published report reveals biases in who is allowed to participate in the public debate. According to a new report from Retriever commissioned by the Fritt Ord Foundation, men who have Nordic names dominate both as sources and journalists in Norwegian media. Women, younger people and people with foreign names are less likely to be included. This is true both as interviewees and as authors of articles. That being said, greater diversity among journalists results in greater diversity among sources.
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Application portal
The Fritt Ord Foundation’s new application portal is now available.
Grants
The Fritt Ord Foundation is a private non-profit foundation that aspires to promote freedom of expression, public debate, art and culture. The projects that receive funding should benefit the Norwegian public and be accessible to all. In special cases, the Fritt Ord Foundation can help promote freedom of expression in other countries.
Prizes
Projects
Fritt Ord's Monitoring Project: The Status of Freedom of Expression in Norway (2013–2026)
The first comprehensive review of the status of freedom of expression in Norway was made in connection with the Freedom of Expression Commission’s report in 1999. Since then, a number of events and more fundamental developments have impacted the conditions for freedom of expression in Norway. ‘Fritt Ord’s Monitoring Project: The Status of Freedom of Expression in Norway’ offers a comprehensive assessment of the status of freedom of expression in Norway from 2013 to 2026.
Civitates
The European fund Civitates, to which Fritt Ord contributes, was established in 2017. The fund supports players of civil society, attaching importance to projects related to democracy, solidarity and independent journalism.
Young People and Students
Fritt Ord offers grants for students working on master’s theses within freedom of expression and democracy building. It also hosts the Fritt Ord Foundation Competition for Upper Secondary Schools and the Norwegian Historical Society’s competition for pupils.
Norwegian Journal of Photography
The Norwegian Journal of Photography was established in 2011 to serve as an arena where independent photographers who work in the interface between traditional press photography on the one hand and art photography on the other will be able to present the full scope of their projects.
Media and Journalism
Since its inception, Fritt Ord has had media and journalism as one of its core target areas. In today’s demanding media situation, the Foundation has set up separate grant and subsidy schemes for journalists and critics.
Libraries, Encyclopaedia, and Houses of Literature
Fritt Ord has launched various initiatives related to the communication of knowledge and the promotion of literature, including an annual subsidy scheme earmarked for Norwegian public libraries. In 2005, the Foundation took the initiative to establish Norway’s first house of literature and, in 2010, to ensure the further operation of Store norske leksikon.
