Call for applications from libraries 2018-19: Ready, steady, debate!

June 29 2018

Fritt Ord invites applications for grants of NOK 60 000 each for communications activities and discussions based on contemporary factual prose and fiction. For example, funding can be used for debates, seminars, talks with writers or discussion fora.

In recent years, libraries have taken on a whole new role as an arena for public discussions and debates by offering venues for events. Which new topics of debate can the libraries bring into the public space? Which relevant publications and authorships have the potential to capture the interest of a wide audience? Which topics of debate are of concern to young people today? Are there new forms of arrangements that inspire audiences to engage in dialogue and conflicts of opinion?

Applications are invited from public libraries, or from individuals or organisations that have an event agreement with a library. Applications for funding may refer to individual events or for series of events. The initiatives should be carried out in autumn 2018 or in 2019. Applicants are asked to draft a project outline that explains the theme, activities and time frame. Please attach a budget and funding plan.

Through this call for applications, the Fritt Ord Foundation seeks to encourage activities that will promote literature and strengthen public libraries as communications arenas. Applications should be submitted using the form on the website, see www.frittord.no and choose ‘Applications Centre’. Mark your submission “Ready, steady, debate!” in the title field.

Deadline for applications: 29 June 2018.

Contact: Oskar Kvasnes, Fritt Ord: Tel. +47 230 14644
Email: oskar@frittord.no

News

Civitates' Tech & Democracy open call

March 6 2025

Civitates – The European Democracy Fund is a pooled philanthropic fund that was set up in 2018 for the sole purpose of addressing democratic decline and closing civic space in Europe. The case for confronting these threats is growing increasingly urgent. Fritt Ord Foundation is one of the initiators and partners of Civitates.

Civitates has launched its Tech and Democracy open call to support organisations working to ensure safer, more inclusive online spaces (social media platforms, search engines etc.) by improving the enforcement of EU tech regulations at the national level.

This open call offers a unique opportunity to strengthen civil society’s role in holding the tech sector accountable, with a focus on key EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act, GDPR, AI Act or the European Media Freedom Act to name a few.

Call for nominations: Free Media Awards 2025

March 3 2025

In collaboration with the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS of Hamburg, the Fritt Ord Foundation has allocated the Free Media Awards annually since 2004 to Eastern European journalists and media that defy every obstacle to tirelessly ensure independent press coverage. Russia’s war against Ukraine and the subsequent wave of disinformation clearly demonstrates the need for independent reporting in the region. Journalists and media in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Hungary that promote freedom of the press through their investigative and independent reporting are eligible to be nominated for the Free Media Awards.

Art and Institutions: “I Demand a Museum to Feel its Own Floors Tremble When Other Museums are Destroyed in War”

February 12 2025

Saturday 22 February 2025 at Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, from 14.30 to 16.30 h.

Conversation with Adam Budak (Poland/Germany), Stefanie Carp (Germany), Matej Drlička (Slovakia), Andrea Geyer (USA) og Sarah Lookofsky (USA/Norway). Ingerid Salvesen is moderator.

Across the world, cultural institutions are under increasing pressure. Censorship, self-censorship, drastic funding cuts, and political and sponsorship interference are on the rise. Former and present institutional directors – with personal experiences of political pressure, cancellation and censorship from different geographic contexts – will discuss the limitations and capacities of art institutions in the present.

Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute to Sara Gaulin

February 5 2025

Sarah Gaulin (30) is being awarded the Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute for her courageous and principled defence of freedom of expression in the face of extremism, gang crime and negative social control.
As a prominent voice, Gaulin has drawn attention to some of the most demanding and controversial social challenges of our time.