Apply for funding outside our official call for applications

• The project must contribute to meeting one or more of the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund’s main objectives

• The application

  • is particularly relevant and of interest considering the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund’s thematic priorities, or

  • has a topic that is not covered by the fund's official calls, or

  • has an order of magnitude that does not fit into the existing call's financial limit, or

  • has an extraordinary or urgent need for implementation, and is dependent on support before the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund’s official calls are released

• Applicants must submit an electronic application in the project portal

• The duration of the project must not exceed three years

• Applicants must provide realistic budgets and specify how the funds will be used

  • Applicants must use the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund’s budget template, available in the application form

• Applications must be written in Norwegian or English

• Any concluding or already existing agreements with the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund have been complied with.

• It will be considered positive if the applicant can document that at least 30 percent of the total project budget is financed by means other than those that may be allocated from the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund. This must appear in the project budget.

Other financing can be your own funds in the form of your own hours or money, or it could be in the form of external financing sources such as private investors, public support schemes, or allocations through Innovation Norway, Sparebankstiftelsen etc. It is not a requirement, but will be considered positive if the applicant contributes with their own funds rather than only external funds.

• If at least one of the points below applies to the project, the application form requires the applicant to answer additional questions:

  • The application amount is greater than NOK 5 million.

  • The country is listed in the EU Sanctions Map. Support cannot be applied for projects in countries listed on the EU/UN sanctions list, unless it can be documented through an extended self-declaration that the project's funds, for example, do not go to sanctioned persons.

  • The country is mentioned in the Norwegian authorities' table 'Sanctions and restrictive measures'.

  • The country has a lower score than 40 in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.

• Private and public enterprises registered in the Brønnøysund Register Centre or an equivalent international body (Your Company "Registration Number (CRN), business number or equivalent, to verify the existence of your organisation), such as industry, NGOs, foundations, research communities and non-profit or voluntary organisations, can apply.

• The applicant is the project owner, and may include other companies as project partners. Allocated funds are paid to the project owner with whom the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund enters into a project agreement. This means that we only allocate funds to one recipient, who will then be responsible for further payment to any subcontractors and for implementation of the project in accordance with the application.

• It is not possible to apply for funding for statutory duties that form part of an enterprise’s ordinary operations.

• Pure operations costs:

  • Development and testing of solutions and technology can be supported, but not the actual operation of the solution once it has been developed.

  • The handling of plastic in established waste and recycling streams.

• Applicants are to send an inquiry to post@handelensmiljøfond.no with a short project outline of maximum one page. If you have already been in touch with someone in the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund about this project, please include the name of this person in your inquiry.

• The one-pager should contain information about project partners, relevance to the fund's main objectives, possible environmental impact, a brief description of the activities, the project's purpose, as well as an estimate for the application sum and total project budget.

• The one-pager will be assessed by the administration of the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund.

• Assessment of one-pager: The applicant receives feedback when the administrative decision has been made, either with a rejection or an invitation to send an application through the project portal.

• Assessment of application: The application submitted in the portal will be assessed by the administration of the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund and selected external experts. The experts are chosen specifically for the application in question. The experts have signed a declaration of impartiality and secrecy.

  • For applications up to and including NOK 500,000: the application is processed in the administration (an expert can be involved if the administration considers it necessary).

  • For applications over NOK 500,000, up to and including NOK 1 million: at least one expert must be involved in the application processing.

  • For applications over NOK 1 million, at least two external experts must be involved in the application processing.

• Decision: The final decision is taken in accordance with the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Funds authorization matrix.

• Response to application: Responses to your application will be sent out through the project portal.

Reporting

• You will be asked to submit a short status report before each project payment.

• If the project lasts for several years, an annual results report must be submitted annually.

• All recipients must submit a final results report after the end of the project.

• Reporting takes place digitally, and the grant recipient will be made aware of the requirements for reporting at the start-up meeting.

Accounting and auditing requirements

• A financial statement for the entire project period shall be prepared as part of the final reporting for all projects regardless of the amount allocated.

• For allocations over NOK 250,000 up to and including 1 million kroner (NOK) an auditor must check the project accounts by issuing a statement in accordance with ISRS 4400 Engagements to Perform Agreed-Upon Procedures Regarding Financial Information.

• For allocations over 1 million kroner (NOK) the auditor must perform an audit of the project accounts for the entire project period in accordance with ISA 805.
  
  Costs related to the use of an external auditor are incurred by the project and must be budgeted for.
  
  These requirements and others will be presented at the start-up meeting, for funded projects.