What Stiftelsen Dam does

Stiftelsen Dam is a Norwegian private nonprofit foundation (stiftelse) headquartered at Stortingsgata 28 in Oslo, founded in 1993 and making its first grant allocation in 1997. It serves as the designated distributor of a portion of Norsk Tipping's gambling monopoly surplus for health purposes in Norway. The foundation runs four core grant programs: Forskning (Research, 1.5–3 million NOK per project, up to 48 months, two-stage sketch-and-extended application), Helse (Health, 40,000–400,000 NOK per project, continuous processing with 45-day response), Utvikling (Development, larger health projects), and Ekspress (Express, rapid smaller-scale funding).

All application, reporting, and disbursement activity runs through the proprietary Damnett web-based system, which supports multiple user roles (applicants, project leaders, organization coordinators, expert committee members, foundation administrators) and integrates with the Open Science Framework for mandatory pre-registration and open-access publication of funded research under specified CC licenses.

The foundation's customer base comprises over 50 approved voluntary health organizations in Norway (including Kreftforeningen, LHL, Nasjonalforeningen for folkehelsen, Rådet for psykisk helse, Norske Kvinners Sanitetsforening, Hjernerådet, MS-forbundet, and Norsk Revmatikerforbund) plus Norwegian research institutions and healthcare beneficiaries served through grantee projects. Its revenue model rests on two streams: the regulated Norsk Tipping surplus allocation for grant distribution, and returns on a professionally managed investment portfolio (533M NOK long-term + 209M NOK short-term as of end-2025, advised by Gabler Investments, allocated across global equities, Norwegian bonds, global bonds, and bank/money market). Since inception the foundation has supported over 16,000 projects with total allocations of 6.8 billion NOK, including 195,795,570 NOK across 667 projects in 2026 year-to-date. Go-to-market is community-led and direct-to-grantee via approved applicant organizations, supplemented by an event series (Damfrokost, Forskningsseminar, Dampulsen) and a public Project Library.

Name

Stiftelsen Dam

Legal name

Stiftelsen Dam

Website

https://dam.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stiftelsen Dam is a Norwegian nonprofit foundation that distributes Norsk Tipping gambling surplus through four grant programs (Forskning, Helse, Utvikling, Ekspress) to over 50 approved voluntary health organizations and Norwegian research institutions, operating the proprietary Damnett application system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Research Grant Foundation

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Health research grants
• Nonprofit grant funding
• Norwegian health foundations
• Voluntary health organizations
• Project funding programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Norsk Tipping Surplus Management: Stiftelsen Dam receives and manages a portion of Norsk Tipping's (the Norwegian state gambling monopoly) surplus revenue, which is mandated to be directed toward health-related purposes. The foundation then distributes these funds through competitive grant programs to voluntary health organizations and research institutions in Norway.
2. Investment Returns on Foundation Capital: The foundation maintains and grows its capital portfolio through professional investment management. As of end of 2025, the long-term financial portfolio stood at 533 million NOK and the short-term portfolio at 209 million NOK. The investments are managed by Gabler Investments as investment advisor and are allocated across global equities (40%), Norwegian bonds (25%), global bonds (35%), and bank/money market (0-10%).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Stiftelsen Dam is a Norwegian non-profit foundation that channels a portion of Norsk Tipping's gambling surplus into health-related grants for voluntary organizations and research institutions in Norway. It funds projects across four programs — Forskning (Research, 1.5–3 million NOK), Utvikling (Development, larger projects), Helse (Health, 40,000–400,000 NOK), and Ekspress (Express, smaller rapid-response projects) — managed through its proprietary Damnett online application system.

Product overview

Stiftelsen Dam is a Norwegian foundation that manages a significant portion of Norsk Tipping's surplus profits to support health-related projects and research. The foundation operates four core grant programs: Forskning (Research) as the largest program receiving approximately one-third of funds for health research at Norwegian institutions; Utvikling (Development) for larger health projects; Helse (Health) for time-limited health projects with grants from 40,000 to 400,000 kroner; and Ekspress (Express) for rapid smaller project funding. All applications are processed through the Damnett online portal. The foundation has funded over 16,000 projects totaling 6.8 billion kroner since its first allocation in 1997, and maintains a Project Library documenting all previously supported initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Damnett: Online application system for grant applications and project management

Products and services

• Forskning (Research) Program Stiftelsen Dam's largest grant program, supporting health research projects conducted by Norwegian research institutions in collaboration with approved voluntary organizations. Uses a two-stage application process (sketch proposals followed by extended applications), with grants of 1,500,000 to 3,000,000 NOK per project and projects running up to 48 months. Includes a registered report option with guaranteed funding if protocol accepted by a journal.
• Utvikling (Development) Program Development program supporting larger health projects with more extensive funding than the Helse program, aimed at developing and implementing health-related initiatives through voluntary organizations.
• Helse (Health) Program Health program supporting time-limited health projects and measures targeting populations in Norway that promote living conditions, physical and mental health, coping, quality of life, or social participation. Grants range from 40,000 to 400,000 NOK with no fixed deadline; applications are processed continuously with responses within 45 days.
• Ekspress (Express) Program Express program offering rapid funding for smaller health projects with faster processing times, providing quicker turnaround compared to other programs for urgent health initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 16,000 projects supported since 1997
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gabler InvestmentscoreTechnology or IntegrationIndependent investment advisor engaged by Stiftelsen Dam since establishment. Provides guidance on portfolio allocation, fund selection, and investment strategy aligned with the foundation's risk profile and ethical guidelines. Serves approximately 120 clients with total securities investments of 143 billion NOK. Contact: Benedicte Johannessen.
• BDO AScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal whistleblowing service provider that operates the foundation's integrity hotline (dam.integrityline.com). Receives and processes whistleblowing reports, conducts initial assessments, and forwards to foundation management with recommendations. Handles reports about the main responsible party for the whistleblowing system.
• Helsedirektoratet (Norwegian Directorate of Health)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Stiftelsen Dam to operate the Activity Program (Aktivitetsprogrammet) during 2020-2022 coronavirus pandemic. 50 million NOK initially allocated for distribution to vulnerable elderly affected by infection control measures, ultimately 119 million NOK distributed through the program.
• Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet (Ministry of Health and Care Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Stiftelsen Dam to operate the Stimulation Program for Health Volunteering (Stimuleringsprogrammet) during 2020-2022 coronavirus pandemic. 75 million NOK allocated for distribution to health voluntary sector activities affected by the pandemic, ultimately 213.6 million NOK distributed through the program.
• Norsk TippingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian state gambling monopoly whose surplus revenue is partially directed to Stiftelsen Dam for health purposes. This represents the primary funding source for the foundation's grant distribution activities. The foundation explicitly avoids investing in gambling companies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wellcome Trust: UK-based charitable foundation that funds health research and wider society initiatives through structured grant programs. Directly comparable to Stiftelsen Dam's combination of research funding, expert review, and large-scale grantmaking capacity.
• Carlsberg Foundation: Danish grantmaking foundation funding basic research across sciences and humanities. Comparable to Stiftelsen Dam in distributing research grants from a sizable investment portfolio with structured application processes.
• Kavli Foundation: Norwegian-origin foundation funding basic science research globally through institute grants and prizes. Comparable as a Nordic-rooted research-focused grantmaking foundation.
• Helmsley Charitable Trust: US-based private charitable foundation with a strong health program portfolio funding research, services, and policy. Comparable as a large-scale health-focused grantmaking foundation with structured program areas.
• Lundbeck Foundation: Danish foundation funding health research, particularly neuroscience, with significant endowment-derived grants. Comparable mission and operating model to Stiftelsen Dam's Forskning and Helse programs.
• Novo Nordisk Foundation: Danish enterprise foundation with a multi-billion-euro endowment that funds health, research, and humanitarian initiatives. It is the closest structural and functional peer to Stiftelsen Dam as a grantmaking foundation channeling commercial returns into Norwegian/Nordic health and research projects.

Broad incumbents

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Largest global health philanthropy with multi-billion-dollar annual grantmaking across health research and delivery. Comparable as the highest-scale incumbent health-focused grantmaking foundation.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Largest US philanthropy dedicated exclusively to health, funding research and programs across public health. Comparable as a broader incumbent in health grantmaking with national-scale impact.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Largest US biomedical research philanthropy with a multi-billion endowment supporting investigator programs and research infrastructure. Comparable as a larger, established player in the same health-research grantmaking space.

Regional players

• Research Council of Norway (Forskningsrådet): Norwegian government agency funding research across all disciplines. Comparable as a domestic Norwegian research funder and would be a natural coordination partner, though it is publicly funded rather than endowed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stiftelsendam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftelsendam
• Instagraminstagram.com/stiftelsendam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stiftelsen Dam