Norad Norwegian Development Programme to Reduce Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter

Expired International · Found: 2026-03-11 11:10

Norwegian development programme (2025-2028) providing competitive grants for NGOs and organizations working on plastic waste value chains, recycling training, and circular economy in developing countries including Indonesia and Vietnam.

Source: https://norad.no/en/for-partners/guides-and-tools/calls-for-proposals2/2025/call-for-proposals-for-the-norwegian-development-programme-to-reduce-plastic-pollution-and-marine-litter--stage-1

Funding Details

Funder

Norad (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation)

Funding Goal

Reduce plastic pollution and marine litter in developing countries through projects addressing: strengthened global and national frameworks, reduced plastic consumption and demand, improved plastic waste management, increased resource mobilization and safe job creation in the circular economy, and reduced health and environmental damage from plastic pollution.

Funding Amount

Norad tentatively plans NOK 50-80 million (approx. EUR 4.3-6.9 million) annual allocation for this call. Multi-year projects (3-4 years) preferred. Applications over NOK 20 million are prioritized. No upper limit per project.

Deadline

2025-09-26 (Fixed)

How to Apply

Two-stage process. Stage 1: Submit concept note by 26 September 2025 via Norwegian Grants Portal (grants.mfa.no, call #4362). Norad reviews from August 2025 onward. Stage 2: Invited applicants submit full application. Applicants can only submit one application per legal entity as lead applicant (may be sub-grantee in others).

Target Region

Developing countries; priority countries are Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania. Regional projects also considered. Other ODA-eligible countries considered if of particular relevance.

Contact

Section for Oceans, Norad. Email: hav@norad.no. Phone: +47 22 30 40 50

Last Checked

2026-05-07 03:15

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Lead applicant must be a non-governmental organisation (NGO)
• Consortia encouraged; for-profit and government entities allowed as consortium members only

Project Scope

• Project must target ODA-eligible developing countries; priority: Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania
• Project must address at least one of the five programme outcomes on plastic pollution and marine litter

Required Documents

• Application must be submitted in English via Norwegian Grants Portal (grants.mfa.no)
• Indicative budget with other income sources, annual breakdown, and overhead percentages required at concept note stage

Constraints

• Multi-year projects of 3-4 years preferred; budgets over NOK 20 million prioritized
• One application per legal entity as lead applicant; may participate as sub-grantee in other proposals

Summary

The Norwegian development programme to reduce plastic pollution and marine litter (Phase 2, 2025-2028) is administered by Norad on behalf of the Norwegian government. The programme aims to reduce plastic pollution and marine litter in developing countries, protecting both human health and the environment. Norway has committed to a total of NOK 1 billion for this phase. This call for proposals (Stage 1 - concept notes) was published in June 2025 and focused on soliciting competitive grants for projects starting in 2026. Thematically, the programme addresses five outcomes: (1) strengthened global and national frameworks to stop plastic pollution and marine litter; (2) reduced consumption and demand for plastic; (3) improved plastic waste management in partner countries; (4) increased resource mobilization and safe job creation in the private sector within the circular economy; and (5) reduced health and environmental damage from plastic pollution and marine litter. Projects may cover one or more of these outcomes. Eligible activities include projects across the full value chain of plastic waste management: collection, sorting, recycling, circular economy infrastructure, waste management systems improvement, private sector engagement in the circular economy, behaviour change, education and awareness, as well as policy and regulatory framework support. Multi-year projects of 3-4 years are preferred, and projects with budgets above NOK 20 million are prioritized. Geographically, the priority countries are Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania. Regional projects are also eligible. Other ODA-eligible countries may be considered if the proposal is of particular regional or thematic relevance. There are no nationality restrictions on applicants. Eligible applicants: Lead applicants must be non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Consortia applications are encouraged. For-profit organisations, foreign governmental institutions, multilateral organisations and intergovernmental organisations may participate as consortium members but cannot be lead applicants. Each legal entity may only lead one application, though they may be a sub-grantee in other proposals. Budget: Norad plans approximately NOK 50-80 million annually for this call (roughly EUR 4.3-6.9 million/year), distributed among a limited number of grant agreements. There is no stated upper limit per project, but applicants may be asked to reduce budgets before agreement signing. All applications must be submitted in English through the Norwegian Grants Portal.

Historical Context

The Norwegian development programme to reduce plastic pollution and marine litter was launched in 2018 for the period 2018-2024 (Phase 1). Norway announced a second phase in 2024 covering 2025-2028 with an ambition of NOK 1 billion total funding for the full programme period. This call is for Phase 2 projects.

Why it was added

GIZ/bilateral waste capacity building

Sources

• https://norad.no/en/for-partners/guides-and-tools/calls-for-proposals2/2025/call-for-proposals-for-the-norwegian-development-programme-to-reduce-plastic-pollution-and-marine-litter--stage-1
• https://norad.no/en/for-partners/guides-and-tools/calls-for-proposals2/2025/call-for-proposals-for-the-norwegian-development-programme-to-reduce-plastic-pollution-and-marine-litter--stage-1/faq-call-for-proposals-for-the-norwegian-development-program-to-combat-plastic-pollution-and-marine-litter/

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