Responses to Request for Clarifications: Call for proposal to support research and evidence generation on comprehensive and safe abortion care

Q: What is the correct application deadline?

A: The correct application deadline is 1 October 2026.

We identified a discrepancy om the previously published information and updated the deadline on 14 September 2026.

Q: Clarification regarding the implementation period

A: We identified a discrepancy between the information published on the webpage and the wording in the call text regarding the implementation period. The call text has now been updated to clarify that the implementation period is six months starting from November 2026.

This is because the funds available under this call are financed within the 2026 fiscal year under budget line 164.70 Gender Equality. Consequently, the funds must be allocated before the end of the current budget year. In addition, disbursement requests from the grant recipient must describe the financial need for a six-month implementation period. Please see section 7.1. “Disbursement of the Grant” in chapter 7 of the Grants Handbook: 7. Implementation and Follow-up Phase | Norad.no

Q: Can more than one country team or country office from the same organization submit an application?

Potential grant recipients must be legal entities and meet the requirements set out in the call text. Separate country teams or country offices within the same organisation will therefore not normally be considered separate applicants, unless they are established as independent legal entities and meet the eligibility requirements in their own right.

In addition, organisations with an existing grant agreement financed under this grant scheme, or under another grant scheme that fully or partly covers the same objectives as this call and the same support period, will normally not be prioritised. This also applies to organisations that receive grants via an umbrella organisation.

Where an organisation already receives funding under this grant scheme and transfers funds onward within the same organisational structure, additional applications from entities within that structure would therefore not normally be prioritised.

Q: Since “the implementation period is six months, starting from November 2026”, does that mean that the entire project budget must be spent within those six months, i.e. by April 2027?

A: We will consider the possibilities for a no-cost extension if necessary, but no agreement can be extended beyond 2027.

Q: Since “the implementation period is six months, starting from November 2026”, does that mean that the entire project budget must be spent within those six months, i.e. by April 2027?

A: We will consider the possibilities for a no-cost extension if necessary, but no agreement can be extended beyond 2027.

Q: Can you specify the geographic priorities under this call?

A: There are no specific geographic priorities under this call beyond the requirement that activities must be relevant to ODA-approved countries. However, the objective of the call is to strengthen the objectives of Norad’s SRHR portfolio, and applicants may therefore find it useful to consult any relevant information on our website: SRHR | Norad.no. 

Q: Does the six-month implementation period include the time needed to obtain ethics or approvals for the research?

A: Such approvals are not assumed to take place outside of, or be the main use, of the six-month implementation window. Applicants should assume that any required ethics or approvals are already in place at he start of the grant period.

Q: Are national non-governmental organisations (NGOs) eligible to apply?

A: This specific call is directed at international non-profit organisations. National NGOs are therefore not eligible to apply. The applicant must be an international non-profit organization and a legal entity that meets the requirements set out in the call for proposals.

Q: The call mentions approximately NOK 10 million in available funds. Is this the total amount available under this call, and is there a maximum or recommended grant amount?

A: The approximately NOK 10 million is the total funding available under this call. Norad will enter into approximately one grant agreement. The call does not specify a separate maximum, minimum or recommended grant amount. The applicant may also be asked to scale down the initiative before an agreement is signed. 

Q: What are the criteria or standards for “international non-profit organisation” in this call?

A: The following elements are emphasized in Norway:

• Organised: The activity is sustained and regular, for example through meetings, membership and decision-making procedures regarded as legitimate by participants. This may also include informal activity.
• Private: The organisation is not formally subject to public control, even if it receives substantial income from public sources.
• Does not distribute profits: The organisation does not have a primarily commercial focus and does not distribute profits to directors, shareholders, members or others. Any surplus must be used in accordance with the organisation’s main purpose.
• Self-governing: The organisation has a governance structure, can decide to dissolve itself and is responsible for its own activities.
• Voluntary: Membership or participation is not legally required or compulsory.

The applicant must be a legal entity and meet the requirements set out in section 3.c, “Requirements for the applicant organisation”, of the call for proposals. Norad will assess the organisation’s eligibility and status based on the information and documentation submitted with the application.

Q: Would trans men be considered an eligible target group under this call?

A: For the purposes of this call and the objectives of Norad’s SRHR portfolio, the relevant target groups are women and girls, particularly vulnerable and marginalised groups. The regulatory framework for the grant scheme 164.70 Likestilling refers to “the diversity of girls and women in ODA-approved countries” as the target group. Trans men are therefore not considered an eligible target group under this call, either as a primary focus or within the broader scope of this specific call.

Q: Can Norwegian non-profit organisations apply under this call?

A: No. The grant scheme rules for 164.70 list both Norwegian and foreign non-profit organisations (“Norske og utenlandske ideelle organisasjoner”, section 5).

However, this call is directed at international non-profit organisations. For this call, the applicant must therefore be a foreign, not a Norwegian, legal entity. International activities or partnerships abroad do not in themselves make a Norwegian legal entity eligible to apply.

Q: Does the applicant itself need to demonstrate an established institutional track record in rigorous SRHR research, or can this be demonstrated substantially through the proposed research and implementation partners?

A: Section 2.a of the call states that Norad will prioritise applicant organisations “with a documented institutional mandate and track record in producing rigorous SRHR research, translating evidence for policy and public debate, and supporting evidence-informed change on politically sensitive SRHR issues, especially abortion and contraception”. This priority concerns the applicant organisation’s own mandate and track record. Partners’ experience may be relevant to the proposed initiative, but it does not replace the applicant’s own track record for this priority. The applicant must itself meet the eligibility and organisational requirements set out in the call.