The Kavli Foundation

What The Kavli Foundation does

The Kavli Foundation (Kavlifondet) is a Norwegian charitable foundation (stiftelse) established on April 25, 1962, by industrialist Knut Kavli. It is the sole owner of the Kavli Group (Kavlikonsernet), a Nordic food conglomerate, through the holding company Kavli Holding AS. The foundation operates under a structural mandate to distribute 100% of dividends received from Kavli Holding to charitable causes, with two stated priority areas: mental health for children and youth, and climate and environment. As of 2025, the foundation announced 100 million NOK in annual disbursements, bringing cumulative grants since inception to over 1.4 billion NOK.

The commercial arm — the Kavli Group — encompasses food production subsidiaries across Norway (O. Kavli AS, Q-Meieriene AS), Sweden (O. Kavli AB), Finland (Kavli OY), and the United Kingdom (Kavli UK Ltd., Primula Ltd., Castle MacLellan Foods Ltd.), spanning dairy, sauces, and specialty food categories. The foundation itself does not engage in direct operations but channels commercial profits into grants and operates programs such as the Health Research Program (launched 2017 in partnership with Stiftelsen Dam), through which 172 million NOK has been deployed across 17 active research projects between 2017 and 2024. It maintains strategic research collaborations with the University of Oslo, Karolinska Institute, Lund University, University of Manchester, and Roehampton University. Key personnel include Managing Director Ingrid Paasche and Program Leader Jan-Ole Hesselberg. The foundation is headquartered in Nesttun, near Bergen, Norway.

Name

The Kavli Foundation

Legal name

O. Kavli og Knut Kavlis allmennyttige fond STI

Website

https://kavlifondet.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Kavli Foundation (Kavlifondet) is a Norwegian charitable foundation established in 1962 that owns the Kavli Group food conglomerate and distributes 100% of received dividends to causes focused on children's mental health and the climate, with cumulative grants exceeding 1.4 billion NOK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergen

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Profit distribution from Kavli Group: Kavlifondet receives the entire annual profit from Kavlikonsernet (Kavli Group) and distributes it to charitable purposes. The foundation is the sole owner of Kavli Group through Kavli Holding AS. Norwegian operations are organized through O. Kavli AS and Q-Meieriene AS; international operations include O. Kavli AB (Sweden), Kavli OY (Finland), Kavli UK ltd., Primula Ltd., and Castle MacLellan Foods Ltd. (UK). No revenue is retained for the foundation itself — the full profit is allocated to grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Kavli Foundation (Kavlifondet) is a Norwegian charitable foundation that owns 100% of the Kavli Group, a multinational food company producing dairy, cheese, butter, and spreads. The Foundation's fundamental activity is to channel the operating profits of the Kavli Group into charitable programs, including mental health research for children and youth, climate and environmental initiatives, cultural projects, and humanitarian aid.

Product overview

The Kavli Foundation (Kavlifondet) is a Norwegian charitable foundation established in 1962 that serves as the sole owner of the Kavli Group. Rather than offering commercial products or software, the foundation operates grant-making programs that distribute the entire annual profit from Kavli Group operations to humanitarian causes, research, and culture. The core programs include the Health Research Program (172 million NOK distributed 2017-2024) targeting children's mental health, general project grants (approximately 100 million NOK annually), the Melk med mening consumer-driven initiative, and the employee-controlled Ansattgaven program. The foundation focuses on two priority areas: mental health for children and youth, and climate and environmental solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kavlifondets program for helseforskning: Health research programme focused on mental health in children and youth, established in partnership with Stiftelsen Dam
• Melk med mening
• Ansattgaven

Products and services

• Health Research Program (Helseforskningsprogrammet)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over NOK 1.4 billion distributed to charitable causes since 1962
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stiftelsen DamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Kavlifondet's health research program is developed and operated in cooperation with Stiftelsen Dam. The joint program has distributed NOK 172 million to mental health research for children and youth during 2017–2024. Stiftelsen Dam brings grant administration and public engagement infrastructure to the partnership.
• Strømmestiftelsen (The Strømme Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrømmestiftelsen is the Norwegian aid organization that implements the ELECAP project in Tanzania (NOK 8 million from Kavlifondet, 2026–2028). Kavlifondet provides funding; Strømmestiftelsen brings field implementation, local partner networks, and 45+ years of experience in Tanzania. The project builds on Strømmestiftelsen's preceding ELCAP program (2021–2026).
• Psykiatri Skåne (Region Skåne psychiatry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKavlifondet's health research program awarded NOK 9 million to Psykiatri Skåne's child and adolescent psychiatry department for the IRMA study (Preventing Adversity in Children at Extreme Risk of Mental Illness), 2025–2031. Research led by Matti Cervin; collaborating institutions include Lund University, Karolinska Institutet, and Örebro University.
• University of Oslo (UiO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUiO researchers lead multiple Kavlifondet-funded health research projects including Daniel Quintana's oxytocin autism study (NOK 5.1 million) and the digital relapse prevention study (NOK 4.856 million). Daniel Quintana received UiO's Prize for Young Researchers in 2022.
• University of RoehamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKavlifondet awarded NOK 8.035 million to University of Roehampton for the 'Promoting mental health among at-risk adolescents in Malaysia' project (2022–ongoing), testing the Super Skills for Life school-based program in Malaysian schools.
• NORCE Norwegian Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNORCE leads the Music for Autism (M4A) study (NOK 10 million from Kavlifondet), conducted in collaboration with University of Bergen (Karsten Specht) and University of Vienna (Giorgia Silani). First European study combining clinical outcomes and brain imaging for music therapy in ASD.
• Nasjonalt kompetansesenter for nevroutviklingsforstyrrelser og hypersomnier (Oslo University Hospital)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaniel Quintana serves as senior researcher at this center alongside his UiO position, contributing to the oxytocin autism research project.
• Kristiansand kommune (Kristiansand Municipality)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the LIVSKUNST project alongside Kilden, Knuden kulturskole, and University of Agder. Municipality provides co-funding and school integration for the arts-based learning pilot in Kristiansand.
• University of AgderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in LIVSKUNST, leading the feasibility study and planning an in-service teacher education program (EVU) based on the LIVSKUNST model. Also partners in evaluating implementation quality and student engagement.
• Lunds universitet (Lund University)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution in the IRMA study alongside Karolinska Institutet and Örebro University.
• Karolinska InstitutetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution in the IRMA study. Also receives separate Kavlifondet funding for the POET online emotion regulation treatment project (NOK ~8 million).
• Örebro universitet (Örebro University)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution in the IRMA study on preventing mental illness in children.
• Anna Freud CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKavlifondet awarded NOK 9.1 million to Anna Freud Centre for the ERiC study on Mentalization Based Treatment for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties (UK, 2021–ongoing).
• City, University of LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKavlifondet awarded NOK 8.4 million to City, University of London for the suicide prevention intervention study (UK, 2020–ongoing), led by a team investigating psychological interventions for adolescents after self-harm.
• University of ManchesterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKavlifondet awarded NOK 9.6 million to University of Manchester for the Passport to Success study — a large RCT of social-emotional learning in 62 schools, involving 2,425 children. Led by professors Neil Humphrey and Pamela Qualter. Study completed with null findings; results published open-access.
• Karolinska InstitutetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for the POET (Primary care Online Emotion-regulation Treatment) study (Sweden, 2022–ongoing), investigating online treatment for adolescent emotion regulation. Funded at approximately NOK 8 million by Kavlifondet.
• Maskrosbarn (Dandelion Children)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish child rights organization (since 2005) receiving NOK 2.7 million from Kavlifondet for establishment in Umeå (2027), targeting youth aged 13–19 in Västerbotten with youth centers, counseling, and child advocacy services. Kavlifondet previously supported Maskrosbarn's Malmö establishment, which is now self-sustaining.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHKMtSsA7DPClaSF53FCclQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Kavlifondet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kavlifondet
• Instagraminstagram.com/kavlifondet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Kavli Foundation