The corona crisis: Fritt Ord earmarks an additional MNOK 40 for projects

March 17 2020

The virus epidemic has put Norway’s cultural life and public discourse in an extremely difficult situation. In response, the Fritt Ord Foundation will be making an extraordinary contribution to projects that can safeguard the spaces for public discourse, develop new arenas for public discourse and help promote dynamic, vital public discourse.

"We are currently expanding the funding we make available for grants by MNOK 40 to help facilitate good projects at a time that both calls for and creates new ways of conveying information", remarks Grete Brochmann, chair of the Board of Fritt Ord.
 
The call for applications is open. Applications may, for example, involve:


  • Digital communications about art, culture, knowledge and social debate from freelancers, groups, institutions, organisations, etc.
     

  • Project support for especially vulnerable independent players, smaller organisations, and small- and medium-sized institutions and production companies operating in the Fritt Ord Foundation's areas of interest.
     

  • Other types of projects and initiatives of particular relevance for the communication situation going forward in 2020.

 

The call for proposals applies to all the Fritt Ord Foundation's areas of interest, e.g. factual prose, journalism, criticism, documentary photos, documentary film, independent dramatic art, lectures and social debates.
 
The applications should include a description of the content of the project, information about the performers/participants, the means of conveying information/its distribution and the target groups, as well as a simple budget with a list of expenses, revenues and any other sources of funding.

Use the usual application form found here and label the application "Additional grants 2020" accompanied by the name of the project in the title field.
 
Deadlines for application:

  • 3 p.m. 31 March 2020
  • 3 p.m. 30 April 2020
  • 3 p.m. 4 August
  • 3 p.m. 11 September

 
For application instructions and questions, contact us at post@frittord.no, or contact Executive Director Knut Olav Åmås at knut.olav.amas@frittord.no or Project Director Bente Roalsvig at bente.roalsvig@frittord.no.
 
For all other types of projects, please apply by the Fritt Ord Foundation's ordinary deadlines, three in the spring and three during the latter half of the year, see frittord.no. 

News

Eirin Larsen and Hadia Tajik join the Fritt Ord Board

August 5 2025

Eirin Larsen (36) and Hadia Tajik (42) bring valuable experience from journalism, technology, politics and jurisprudence to the Fritt Ord Board.

Making the film «Farouk» – on the geologist that secured Norway its oil

July 1 2025

Geologist Farouk Al-Kasim joined the the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate in 1968, shaping Norwegian petroleum resource management for decades afterwards. Now, documentary film director Halkawt Mustafa and producer Janne Hjeltnes are making a film about Al-Kasim’s life and reflections.
“Farouk tells me something in this film that he has not talked about before, because he has always told the version he feels Norway wanted to hear,” recounts Mustafa, who has Iraqi roots himself.

Read the interview with the director and see the list of grants awarded by Fritt Ord in June 2025.

Bård Vegar Solhjell new chair of the Fritt Ord Board

July 1 2025

Bård Vegar Solhjell (53) has taken over as the new chair of the Fritt Ord Foundation Board.

Cultural newspaper TBATBA.no and new journalism grants – June 2025

June 19 2025

– Cultural journalism is under pressure. Part of the problem is media outlets failing to cover culture in formats and ways that appeal to people under 30, says Ida Madsen Hestman, editor, freelance critic, and founder of TBATBA.no. Last year, she started the kind of publication she herself would want to read.

The magazine TBA is among those awarded funding in June 2025. See the full list of grants in Norsk Journalistikk.