3. Calls for Proposals

Norad generally announces funding opportunities through calls for proposals. A call for proposals can either have a deadline for applications or be open-ended. In the former case, applications are compared against each other in a competitive process while in the latter applications are appraised individually and funding decisions made continuously.

Calls for proposals will either be published or shared by invitation only. Norad may choose to issue a call for proposals by invitation only where the group of potential applicants is relatively small and Norad has a good overview of them, hence knowing what organisations are in a position to contribute to the set objectives and that should be invited to apply.

Each call for proposals will specify the requirements for the application, including eligibility criteria for applicants, deadline (if applicable), formal requirements and mandatory documentation. The call will also specify how and to whom the application should be submitted. 

Norad’s expectations related to competence, capacity, knowledge utilisation and evaluations will be reflected in calls for proposals and, consequently, in the appraisal of applications as well as partner assessments.

Norad normally publishes call for proposals in the Grants Portal and on www.norad.no.

The Grants Portal

• Organisations with an interest in applying for funding from Norad are advised to register in the Grants Portal in order to access announcements of call for proposals. In order to register, you will need to upload the organisation’s statues, the latest annual accounts and annual audit report.
• The Grants Portal contains a number of fields that applicants have to fill out with the requested information and data. There are pre-determined limits on the number of characters and/or formats allowed in each field. We strongly advise potential applicants to familiarise themselves with the grants portal, so that they can develop the proposal in line with the requirements and limitations in the portal.
• For most call for proposals, there will be a requirement to upload attachments such as the budget, results framework (or similar document) or risk analysis.
• Note that the Grants Portal may not have a standard text box for entry of all information requested in the call for proposals (which may differ from one call for proposals to another). Applicants can instead enter the requested information in a field that allows “additional information” or similar. It is the responsibility of all applicants to ensure that all required information is submitted.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications well ahead of the deadline specified in the call for proposals. Applications that are submitted after the formal deadline will be rejected.