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A foundation is a legal entity established when a sum of money (capital value) is made available for a specific purpose of a charitable, humanitarian, cultural, social, educational, economic, or other nature, often through a will or a gift.

Foundations are self-owning institutions, meaning they have no owners. They also have no members with organizational rights, but are governed by a board.

The most important duty of a foundation is to fulfill its purpose. The foundation’s board is responsible for determining how the purpose is to be fulfilled.

Some foundations announce and award grants based on applications, while others allocate the available funds directly to a recipient for use in accordance with the purpose. There are also foundations that award prizes or rewards. Not all foundations distribute funds every year. You can read more about this on each foundation’s individual information page.

The amount a foundation distributes depends on its capital. UNIFOR administers foundations with capital sizes ranging from under NOK 1 million to over NOK 250 million. The available distribution amount is usually published when a foundation announces a call for applications.

The board is the highest authority of a foundation and is responsible for managing the foundation. It is also the board’s role and responsibility to ensure that the purpose is fulfilled by approving allocations from the foundation. The board should adopt a plan for how the purpose will be fulfilled and how the foundation’s assets will be managed.

The Norwegian Foundations Act requires that a foundation’s capital be managed prudently, with emphasis on security and the potential for good returns. The board must therefore ensure a robust and sound investment strategy. See the section About UNIFOR and Our Services for how we approach this.

We primarily administer foundations associated with the University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, NTNU, NMBU, and the Norwegian Academy of Music, but also other private foundations. Most of these foundations support purposes within higher education and research, but also within art, culture, and other charitable causes.

Research and Education

We manage foundations that benefit the academic environments at UiO, NTNU, NMBU, and the Norwegian Academy of Music. Some foundations, such as the Nansen Foundations, are also open to applicants from other universities and research communities.

We do not have a complete overview of all foundations that benefit the university environments in Norway.

Medical Research

The largest foundations we administer are those that support medical research, such as the Director Throne Holst Foundation for Nutritional Research, the Trondheim Foundation for Neuroscientific Research, and the Anders Jahre Fund for the Advancement of Science.

Art and Music

We administer the Fegersten Foundations, which announce funding calls every other year for Norwegian visual artists, musicians, and composers.

Charitable Purposes

We also administer foundations that benefit charitable purposes by awarding grants to individuals in financial difficulty, supporting recreation for nurses, and funding the beautification of outdoor areas.

The Foundations Register (Stiftelsesregisteret)

The Register (Stiftelsesregisteret) provides a complete overview of all established foundations in Norway. It is managed by the Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority (Lotteri- og stiftelsestilsynet) and contains information about the boards, capital sizes, and bylaws of foundations. og inneholder informasjon om stiftelsenes styre, kapitalstørrelse og vedtekter.

The Norwegian Association of Foundations (Stiftelsesforeningen)

The Norwegian Association of Foundations (Stiftelsesforeningen) is an independent interest organization and meeting place for Norwegian foundations. Membership in the association is included for foundations that enter into an agreement with us.

How to Establish a Foundation

On the Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority’s website, you can find more information about how to establish a foundation and the requirements involved. We are happy to assist with drafting the foundation’s deed and bylaws.