How to apply for funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers

Each year, some 500 projects and activities are launched and run within the framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The most important criterion that the Nordic Council of Ministers applies to project funding is that the projects provide added value to the Nordic countries, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.

Although the projects span a wide variety of areas, common to all is that they have Nordic added value and are anchored in the Nordic Council of Ministers’ vision. The majority are run by an “administrative body”, usually a national agency in the Nordic Region, commissioned for this purpose by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Nordic Council of Ministers issues direct calls for funding applications on particular topics from time to time.

All projects are conducted on the basis of political discussion in the various councils of ministers or committees of senior officials. Decisions on the allocation of funding are made by them or on the basis of application programmes and announcements. Current opportunities to apply for project funding can be found here:

Please note that we cannot accept spontaneous applications.

Conditions

All projects that are granted funding need to meet the Nordic Council of Ministers’ conditions. Below is a list of the general conditions that apply to all projects. In addition, specific requirements may apply depending on the project and announcement.

Connection with the Nordic Council of Ministers’ strategic platforms

Projects financed with Nordic funds must be linked to the Nordic Council of Ministers’ vision, action plan, and budget. 

Vision 2030 is the overriding vision for Nordic co-operation, which is that the Nordic Region is to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by the year 2030.

This means that we strive to be: 

  • A competitive Nordic Region: Together we will promote green growth in the Nordic Region based on knowledge, innovation, mobility, and digital integration.
  • A green Nordic Region: Together we will promote the green transition of our societies and work towards carbon neutrality and a sustainable, circular, and bio-based economy.
  • A socially sustainable Nordic Region: Together we will promote an inclusive, gender-equal, and cohesive region with shared values, increased cultural exchanges, and enhanced welfare provisions.

The various councils of ministers draw up plans, strategies, and programmes that reflect their political priorities. The Nordic Council of Ministers also has three intersectoral strategies: for sustainability, gender equality, and children and young people. 

 

Include three Nordic countries

In order to get funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic countries must be involved in the initiative. This means that at least three of the following must be involved: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, or Åland. One of these can be replaced by one or more countries from outside the Nordic Region. “Involvement” is defined as helping to run or implement the project.

Help to add Nordic value

Projects must add Nordic value. This is defined as:

  • the project being a collaborative effort between the Nordic countries, and 
  • the outcomes benefiting the Nordic countries.
Policy for cross-sectoral perspectives

Projects financed with Nordic funds must comply with the three cross-sectoral perspectives: 

  • Sustainable development 
  • Gender equality 
  • A children’s rights and youth perspective 

The successful integration of these three perspectives is a prerequisite to achieving the vision of the Nordic Region as the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. Integration is a joint responsibility and our efforts affect the lives of people in the Nordic Region. We implement initiatives that make people’s day-to-day lives easier, we bring together Nordic stakeholders, and we create knowledge and solutions that support the countries’ development. For these reasons, it’s important that we ensure that our work is sustainable, gender-equal, inclusive, representative, and accessible. You can find out more about this here:

 

Project process

To facilitate the reporting on the project, our project process has three phases. Depending on where in the process the project is, the following pages contain more information about the three phases and what documents are needed to complete each step. Select the option that best suits your project:  

You can read more about every step in the process in our guidelines.

Scandinavian document:

For those with a framework agreement

If you have a framework agreement, you must follow the template for that agreement. The template includes a budget and description of the initiative. Initiative that have a framework agreement must also be reported on each year in accordance with a common template for annual reports.

Managing projects

The project portal is for those who have already been allocated funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers. You will manage your ongoing project here. You will be given a username and password by the Secretariat to the Nordic Council of Ministers.

You can find out more about the project portal in our manual. 

Scandinavian document:

English document:

Nordic Council of Ministers’ project database

You can read about the most recently updated projects and search for ongoing activities in the Nordic Council of Ministers’ project database.