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

Reduce plastic pollution and marine litter in developing countries by strengthening global and national frameworks, reducing plastic consumption and demand, improving plastic waste management, increasing resource mobilisation and safe job creation in the circular economy, and reducing health and environmental damage from plastic pollution.

Funding Amount

Norway has committed NOK 1 billion (~EUR 86M) for the full 2025-2028 programme period. Individual project grants not specified in Stage 2 call text (accessible only to invited applicants).

Deadline

Ongoing (Rolling)

How to Apply

By invitation only. Organisations invited to Stage 2 received a formal invitation letter from Norad in November 2025. The call text and application form are accessible only via the Grants Portal (grants.mfa.no) for invited applicants. Applications must be submitted in English. 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

hav@norad.no (Section for Oceans, Norad); Norad, Bygdøy allé 2, 0257 Oslo, Norway

Last Checked

2026-05-07 06:41

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Lead applicant must be an NGO; invitation from Norad (Stage 2) is required
• Consortium applications are encouraged; for-profits, multilaterals, and intergovernmental bodies may be consortium members

Project Scope

• Project must target reducing plastic pollution and/or marine litter in developing countries
• Priority countries: Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania; global/regional projects also accepted

Required Documents

• Application must be submitted in English through the Norad Grants Portal (grants.mfa.no)

Constraints

• Applicant must have received a formal invitation letter from Norad in November 2025 to access Stage 2 call
• Stage 1 of the call was open earlier in 2025; Stage 2 is only for Stage 1 shortlisted organisations

Summary

The Norwegian Development Programme to Reduce Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter is a major Norwegian government initiative administered by Norad (the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation). The programme entered its second phase covering 2025-2028, with a total budget ambition of NOK 1 billion (~EUR 86M). This Stage 2 call is specifically by invitation only, targeting organisations that progressed through the earlier Stage 1 open call. The programme's overarching aim is to reduce plastic pollution and marine litter in developing countries, protecting both human health and the environment. It organises its work around 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 mobilisation and safe job creation in the private sector within the circular economy; (5) reduced health and environmental damage from plastic pollution. Thematic priorities include waste management systems, circular economy approaches to plastics, collection and recycling infrastructure, community-based solid waste management, and policy engagement. Projects may address multiple outcomes simultaneously. The geographic focus is developing countries, with five priority countries named: Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania. However, global and regional projects are also accepted, extending potential reach to other developing-country contexts. Eligible lead applicants are non-governmental organisations. Consortium applications are strongly encouraged, and for-profit companies, foreign governmental institutions, multilateral organisations, and intergovernmental bodies may participate as consortium members. Access to Stage 2 is restricted to organisations that received a formal invitation letter from Norad in November 2025. No specific grant sizes are publicly disclosed for Stage 2; the full call text is only visible in the Grants Portal for invited parties. Deadline is listed as ongoing. Applications must be submitted in English through the official Norad Grants Portal.

Historical Context

First phase of the Norwegian development programme ran 2018-2024. The Norwegian government announced a second phase (2025-2028) with a NOK 1 billion ambition. Stage 1 of the 2025 call closed earlier in 2025; Stage 2 (by invitation only) launched November 2025 for organisations that passed Stage 1 screening.

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

Similar Programs

← Back to list