Win a Share of the NOK 20 Million for your Sustainable Development Project. Apply Today

Could your organization actually win a share of 20 million NOK? If you run a civil society organization, sit on a partnerships team, or manage international programs, Norway’s government exchange agency has that much on the table this cycle – and the application window closes in less than a month.

The Norec grant funds international work exchange partnerships between two or more organizations in different countries. It’s not an individual scholarship – it is a competitive grant for civil society organizations, public institutions, private companies, and multilateral organizations that meet a specific set of administrative and financial capacity requirements. The Phase 2 deadline is August 15, 2026, at 23:59 CET, for exchanges starting January or February 2027. Here’s exactly what your organization needs to qualify, what gets funded, and how the application actually gets assessed.

Quick Facts

Does Your Organization Actually Qualify?

This is the part worth checking carefully before you invest time in an application, because Norec dismisses applications that don’t meet these baseline requirements outright – no partial credit.

You need a partnership, not a solo application. At least two organizations, based in different countries, applying jointly. Eligible organization types include civil society organizations, public institutions, private sector companies, and multilateral or global organizations.

Each organization in the partnership must have:

• A board of directors or trustees (not required for all public institutions)
• A physical office with real workspace for exchange participants
• Digital accounting software – Norec explicitly states Excel does not count as an accounting system
• The ability to receive funding from abroad
• Consolidated, audited financial statements no older than 18 months (unaudited statements are only accepted with a documented justification)
• At least three full-time salaried employees working across programme, management, and administration – two is workable only if the partnership can clearly explain how the third role is covered

On top of that:

• Your project has to take place in a country eligible for Norwegian development assistance (an ODA-eligible country)
• None of the partner organizations can have an open investigation or misconduct allegation with Norec
• No outstanding, overdue reimbursement claims from previous Norec funding
• All partners need to confirm compliance with labor, health, safety, and environmental law, plus Norec’s ethical principles on preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment, and anti-corruption

If your organization is newer to international development work or represents a marginalized or underrepresented community, take note: Norec explicitly says it wants to hear from you. Its “Leave no one behind” principle specifically encourages applications from organizations that aren’t traditional aid recipients, and from organizations working with marginalized or vulnerable groups.

What Gets Funded, and What Doesn’t

Norec isn’t handing out a lump sum for you to allocate freely. The funding is structured specifically around sending young professionals or volunteers, aged 18 to 35, on exchange, and covers:

• Salary for the exchange participants
• Travel, insurance, taxes, and housing costs
• Necessary equipment for participants to do their assigned work
• A small administrative grant for the partner organizations running the project

First-time Phase 2 applicants can apply for a two-year project with a minimum of two exchange rounds. Returning applicants – organizations that have already received Norec funding – can apply for either a short-term project (1–3 years) or a long-term project (3–5 years), and face additional scrutiny on past performance, financial management, and how well they supported previous participants.

How Applications Actually Get Scored

Meeting the formal requirements above gets your application read – it doesn’t get it funded. Norec assesses qualifying applications against ten criteria, and it’s worth building your proposal around these directly rather than treating them as a checklist to address after the fact:

1. Administrative and financial capacity to deliver the project
2. Partnership strength and reciprocity – both organizations need to show real, mutual contribution and benefit
3. Clear, measurable learning goals tied to a defined target group
4. Innovation – genuinely new knowledge or approaches, not a repeat of an existing program
5. Alignment with each organization’s existing strategy and goals
6. A credible plan for sustaining results after the project ends
7. Concrete support and mentoring plans for exchange participants
8. Risk management, including around human rights, gender equality, climate, and corruption
9. Cost-effectiveness, with justified estimates on every budget line
10. Alignment with Norec’s current funding priorities

Applications missing a signature from an authorized signatory, submitted after the deadline, or incomplete in any way are dismissed before they’re even scored against these criteria — so treat the formal requirements as a hard gate, not a formality.

The Clock Is Running

If you are reading this in July, the August 15, 2026 deadline is genuinely close. Audited financial statements, a signed budget, and a full results framework aren’t things you want to be assembling in the final week. If your organization already has an existing or recent Norec collaboration agreement, or completed Phase 1 concept development in 2025 or early 2026, you’re eligible to apply now – the honest move is to start pulling documentation together immediately rather than waiting.

For the Young Professionals Reading This Too

If you’re not running an organization but you’re hoping to actually be one of the people sent on a Norec-funded exchange – the answer is you can’t apply to Norec directly, but you can absolutely put yourself in the running by connecting with an NGO, civil society group, or public institution that already has, or is pursuing, a Norec partnership. If you already volunteer or work with an international organization, this is worth raising with your program leadership directly. For other international opportunities open to individuals, our guide to the ICC Internship and Visiting Professionals Programme is a good next stop, and our Education section covers everything currently open.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who can apply for a Norec grant?

Partnerships of two or more organizations from different countries – civil society organizations, public institutions, private companies, or multilateral organizations – that meet Norec’s administrative and financial capacity requirements.

• Can an individual apply to Norec directly?

No. Norec grants are awarded to organizational partnerships. Individuals aged 18–35 get onto a funded exchange by being selected as a participant through a partner organization.

• What is the deadline for this call for proposals?

August 15, 2026, at 23:59 Central European Time, for exchanges starting January or February 2027.

• How much funding is available in this round?

20 million NOK in total funds, distributed competitively across qualifying applications.

• What disqualifies an application automatically?

Missing the formal eligibility requirements, submitting after the deadline, an incomplete application, or an application not signed by an authorized signatory.

• What are Norec’s funding priorities for 2026?

Climate, climate adaptation, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Think your organization qualifies? Full application templates and requirements are on the official Norec call for proposals page.