Norwegian Development Programme to Reduce Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter

Enriched International · Found: 2026-03-10 17:37

Norad program targeting plastic pollution in developing countries. 1 billion NOK (~93M USD) for 2025-2028. Focuses on waste management, circular economy, and health/environmental damage mitigation. Invitation-only for NGOs, consortia encouraged.

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-2-by-invitation-only

Funding Details

Funder

Norad — Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

Funding Goal

Grants for projects aimed at reducing plastic pollution and marine litter in developing countries, protecting human health and the environment. Five programme outcomes: (1) Strengthened global and national frameworks to stop plastic pollution; (2) Reduced consumption and demand for plastic; (3) Improved plastic waste management in partner countries; (4) Increased resource mobilization and safe job creation in circular economy; (5) Reduced health and environmental damage from plastic pollution and marine litter.

Funding Amount

Total programme budget: NOK 1 billion (approximately USD 93 million) for 2025-2028. Individual grant amounts not specified publicly.

How to Apply

Stage 2 (by invitation only): Invited organisations received formal invitation letters from Norad in November 2025. Call text and application form only available to invited organisations via Grants Portal at grants.mfa.no. Applications submitted in English through the Grants Portal. Deadline listed as 'Ongoing'. Contact: hav@norad.no (Section for Oceans).

Target Region

Developing countries — priority countries: Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania. Global and regional projects also eligible.

Contact

Norad — Section for Oceans. Email: hav@norad.no. Norad, Bygdøy allé 2, 0257 Oslo. Phone: +47 22 30 40 50.

Last Checked

2026-03-15 11:02

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Organisation must have received a formal invitation from Norad — Stage 2 is by invitation only
• Lead applicant must be a non-governmental organisation (NGO)
• Consortium partnerships are encouraged — for-profit companies and multilaterals may be consortium members

Project Scope

• Project must target plastic pollution reduction in developing countries
• Priority countries: Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania (global/regional projects also considered)

Required Documents

• Application must be submitted in English through the Norad Grants Portal (grants.mfa.no)
• Read the full call text (available only to invited organisations via Grants Portal)

Constraints

• Invited organisations received invitation letters in November 2025 — confirm receipt before applying

Summary

Norad's Norwegian Development Programme to Reduce Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (Phase 2, 2025-2028) is a major grant programme funded by the Norwegian government with a total budget of NOK 1 billion (approximately USD 93 million). The programme aims to reduce plastic pollution and marine litter in developing countries, protecting both human health and the environment. The programme is structured around five strategic outcomes: strengthening global and national policy frameworks against plastic pollution; reducing consumption and demand for plastic; improving plastic waste management systems in partner countries; increasing resource mobilization and creating safe jobs within the circular economy; and reducing health and environmental damage from existing plastic pollution and marine litter. Geographically, the programme focuses on developing countries with five priority countries: Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania. However, applications for global and regional projects are also accepted beyond these priority countries. Eligibility for Stage 2 is restricted to NGOs that were formally invited by Norad following Stage 1 screening earlier in 2025. Consortium applications are strongly encouraged. While lead applicants must be NGOs, consortium members may include for-profit organisations, foreign governmental institutions, and multilateral or intergovernmental organisations. All applications must be submitted in English through the Grants Portal (grants.mfa.no). This call (Stage 2) was published November 2025 and is by invitation only. Invited organisations received formal letters from Norad in November 2025. The call has a rolling deadline. Norad's Section for Oceans manages the programme and can be contacted at hav@norad.no.

Historical Context

The Norwegian development programme to reduce plastic pollution and marine litter was first launched in 2018 for the period 2018-2024. In 2024, the Norwegian government announced a second phase (2025-2028) with NOK 1 billion in total funding. The 2025 call ran in two stages: Stage 1 (open call) earlier in 2025, followed by Stage 2 (invitation only for shortlisted applicants) launched November 2025.

Why it was added

Major government grant program directly targeting marine plastic pollution reduction in developing countries - highly relevant for marine conservation NGOs

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-2-by-invitation-only

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