The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)

What The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) does

NORAD (The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) is a Norwegian government directorate established in 1968 and headquartered in Oslo with approximately 320 employees. It operates as the administrative and professional agency for Norwegian development cooperation, supporting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Climate and Environment in delivering on Norway's official development assistance (ODA) policy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The agency does not develop or sell commercial products; instead, it manages grants, technical cooperation agreements, and partnerships across thematic areas including humanitarian response, climate and environment, education, health, governance, human rights, gender equality, and the dedicated Nansen Programme for Ukraine.

NORAD's business model is the disbursement of public ODA funds: in 2025 Norway's total development aid reached 58.9 billion NOK (1.03% of GNI), of which NORAD administers approximately half. Funds flow through three principal channels — multilateral organizations (UN agencies, World Bank, EBRD), bilateral agreements with developing-country governments, and grants to Norwegian and international NGOs and civil society organizations via calls for proposals and a Plus Partner model framework. Named partners include UNICEF, WHO, ICRC, the Norwegian Red Cross, the Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait, ILO, EBRD, and the Government of Brazil, with project portfolios spanning 1,557 supported projects in 2025.

The agency's go-to-market is therefore grant-making rather than sales; its distribution advantage rests on decades-long institutional relationships and Norway's outsized per-capita aid position. NORAD has no disclosed AI, software, or technology product surface, and its operational focus is on quality assurance, results reporting (via the Bistandsresultater.no portal), fraud and corruption controls, and the ongoing modernization of its underlying aid delivery platform.

Name

The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)

Legal name

Norad - The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

Website

https://norad.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

NORAD is Norway's government directorate for development cooperation, administering roughly half of the country's 58.9 billion NOK (2025) official development assistance through grants to UN agencies, developing-country governments, and NGOs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Cooperation

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Country Development Assistance Programs (Bilateral ODA) (BPADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Official Development Assistance (ODA) Program Management (BPADAOAC), Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA), Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF), Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG)

Keywords

• Development cooperation
• Foreign aid administration
• Humanitarian assistance
• Climate financing
• Multilateral partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Norwegian Government Development Budget: NORAD receives funding through the Norwegian government's official development assistance (ODA) budget. The agency administers approximately half of Norway's total development aid, which in 2025 amounted to 58.9 billion NOK, representing 1.03 percent of Norway's GNI.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NORAD is a Norwegian government directorate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that administers Norwegian international development aid. The agency manages approximately half of Norway's NOK 58.9 billion development aid budget, channeling grants and technical cooperation to partner governments, NGOs, UN agencies, multilateral organizations, and civil society for poverty reduction, climate action, humanitarian response, education, and human rights initiatives. NORAD also reports to the Ministry of Climate and Environment and administers risk-mitigation instruments such as the State Guarantee Scheme for renewable energy investments in developing countries.

Product overview

NORAD is a Norwegian government directorate for development cooperation, not a product company. It serves as an administrative and professional body supporting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Climate and Environment in achieving Norway's development policy goals. NORAD's work encompasses thematic areas including humanitarian assistance, climate/food/environment/energy, education, health, governance, human rights, gender equality, and the Nansen Programme for Ukraine. The organization provides knowledge, analyses, and result stories to engage with global development issues, manages partner relationships and grant schemes, publishes news and publications, and maintains a results statistics portal (Bistandsresultater.no). It does not offer software products, modules, or commercial service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Funding Programmes (Tilskuddsordninger) Direct grants and funding programmes for partner governments, NGOs, and multilateral organizations working on poverty reduction, climate action, humanitarian response, education, and human rights in developing countries.
• State Guarantee Scheme for Renewable Energy Investments (Statsgarantiordningen) Government-backed guarantee scheme that mitigates commercial and political risk for private investors in renewable energy projects in developing countries.
• Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine Dedicated programme providing funding and coordination for Ukraine-related humanitarian and longer-term development assistance, with its own directorate within NORAD.
• Pluspartnermodellen (Plus Partner Model) Long-term strategic partnership model providing core multi-year funding to selected civil society organizations for sustained development cooperation.
• Corruption Hunter Network Whistleblower and reporting service for corruption cases connected to Norwegian-funded development projects, supporting accountability across funded activities.
• Knowledge Bank (Kunnskapsbanken) Centralized repository of evaluations, research, and evidence-based resources available to partners and the public to inform development programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• 58.9 billion NOK in total Norwegian aid administered in 2025
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026$3 million pledge for WHO's ACTxBEC initiative (Acute Care Transformation through Basic Emergency Care) to train frontline healthcare workers in Africa, targeting 1,000 health facilities with goal to save 50,000 lives annually.
• Corruption Hunter NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005International network of approximately 20 anti-corruption investigators from prosecutorial authorities across 20+ countries, initiated in 2005 by former Minister Hilde Frafjord Johnson and Eva Joly. Led and coordinated by NORAD. Has helped recover billions of kroner for public good.
• International Labour Organization (ILO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour-year partnership (Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work) supporting Ghana shea workers. Norway co-funded with Switzerland to formalize the shea industry, establish trade union (Ghana Shea Workers Union) and employers association, and sign first collective agreement in sector.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Red Cross field hospital in Rafah, Gaza. NORAD has provided 97 million NOK since 2023. Hospital operated by ICRC, Palestinian Red Crescent, and 15 national Red Cross/Red Crescent societies. Provides surgical procedures, consultations, and maternity services.
• Norwegian Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour-year partnership agreement worth 760 million NOK annually for humanitarian work. Norwegian Red Cross plays central role in Gaza field hospital operations.
• Education Cannot WaitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultilateral fund for education in emergencies and crises. Reached approximately 8.3 million children and youth in 33 conflict-affected countries in 2023-2024.
• Global Partnership for Education (GPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership supporting education system strengthening in developing countries. Reached 372 million children through improved curricula, classrooms, and teacher training.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for education and humanitarian programs. In 2024, 26 million children gained access to education through cooperation with UNICEF.
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate financing partnership for energy efficiency solutions in emerging markets, including 40 million euro green financing program in Moldova.
• Brazil (Government)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term support for Brazil's rainforest preservation and indigenous territory protection. Norway supports satellite monitoring, research, law enforcement, and civil society. Kayapó territory (three times size of Belgium) protected through cooperation with FUNAI and IBAMA.
• European UnionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funding partner for EBRD green financing program in Moldova supporting energy efficiency upgrades in residential buildings.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorway is UNEP's largest donor, contributing approximately $12 million annually. Pause on funding agreements in May 2026 affects UNEP operations ahead of revised budget decision.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID): The largest bilateral development agency, administering U.S. foreign assistance across humanitarian, health, education, and governance programs. Directly comparable mandate and operating model to NORAD, though at materially larger scale.
• Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA): Sweden's bilateral aid agency with comparable Nordic governance model, thematic focus on poverty, climate, and human rights, and similar per-capita aid intensity to NORAD.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ): Germany's federal agency for international cooperation, implementing bilateral development programs on behalf of the German government. Closely comparable in mandate and partner-driven delivery model.
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO): The UK government department responsible for foreign aid policy and programming. Directly comparable as a bilateral donor with global thematic reach across humanitarian, climate, and governance work.
• Danida (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark): Denmark's bilateral development cooperation arm, with comparable Nordic governance model, focus on green transition, human rights, and humanitarian response.
• Agence Française de Développement (AFD): France's bilateral development finance institution, financing public-sector projects in developing countries across climate, education, health, and governance. Comparable bilateral mandate with strong climate-and-development focus.
• Global Affairs Canada: Canada's federal department administering international development and humanitarian assistance. Closely comparable bilateral mandate covering poverty reduction, gender equality, and climate action.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA): Japan's bilateral development agency, executing ODA programs across infrastructure, health, education, and governance. Comparable in scale and breadth of thematic mandate.
• Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA): South Korea's bilateral aid agency implementing grant-based ODA programs. Comparable role as an administering body for government-to-government development assistance.
• Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), Netherlands: The Netherlands' directorate for international cooperation within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, administering Dutch ODA across thematic programs. Closely comparable mandate and directorate structure to NORAD.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/noradno
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@norad
• Facebookfacebook.com/Norad
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norad
• Instagraminstagram.com/noradno

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)