Overview

  • Posted Opportunities 0
  • Founded Since 2000

Company Description

About us

The Minor Foundation for Major Challenges is a Norwegian trust that funds communication projects which mitigate anthropogenic climate change.

The foundation welcomes applications from all over the world. The board grants support to the projects they believe have the greatest impact on influencing opinion and increasing political support for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Our Board

BÃ¥rd Lahn

Chairman

BÃ¥rd Lahn has a long history of climate policy work for Norwegian NGOs and international NGO networks, in particular in the field of UN climate negotiations. He has written extensively on international climate policy, fossil fuels, climate science and equity. Lahn has previously served on the boards of the Norwegian Development Fund, the Sophie Prize, and Friends of the Earth Norway, among others. He holds a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from the University of Oslo and is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the University’s Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture.

Tor Opsvik

Board member

Mr. Tor Opsvik has a PhD degree, with a thesis in History at the University of Santiago de Chile. He holds a Masters degree in Sociology and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. He has been an advisor at the Norwegian Directorate of Immigrationworks. Currently, he works as a teacher in Latin American history and culture at the University of Oslo, Norway.

Rikke Dahl Monsen

Board member

Rikke Dahl Monsen is Program Coordinator at Oslo Green Capital 2019 in the Office of the Governing Mayor in the City of Oslo. She is on leave from her position as Communication Advisor in the Climate Agency in the City of Oslo. She has worked in different positions in the City since 2007, and has worked with the development of Oslo circular based waste management system, on making Oslos Climate and Energy Strategy and on Oslos strategy for climate communication. Now she is working on employing Oslo’s program for it’s year as the European Green Capital. She is educated as a Human Geographer from the University of Oslo and was active in Young Friends of the Earth in her youth.

Trude Rauken

Board member

Ingrid Lomelde

Board member

Ingrid Lomelde has 15 years experience with sustainable development, climate and energy across the public, private and civil society sectors. Throughout her career as business developer for offshore wind in Equinor, as Conservation Director in WWF Norway, as Head for the Climate Team in the Norwegian Research Council and as Vice President for Sustainability in Aker Offshore Wind, Ingrid has dedicated her efforts to developing climate solutions that protect and respect nature and people. Ingrid holds a masters degree in political science from the University of Oslo.

Our History

2000

Peter Opsvik’s family-owned company donated one third of its shares to The Minor Foundation for Major Challenges. The foundation supports communication projects that contribute to mitigating human-made global warming.

2001

The foundation’s first grant is awarded. The project seeks to raise awareness of climate change in Russia.

2011

Awarded grants surpass 10 million NOK in total. The project portfolio includes start funding to a new NGO called 350.org, work to include migrant communities in climate action, and ground-breaking analysis of equity in climate policy.

2018

The Foundation sells its shares in Peter Opsvik AS and decides to make its entire asset base available for grantmaking during the decisive decade for climate action towards 2030.

 

 

The Foundation supports advocates of climate change mitigation. The calls for applications are open to international applicants.

 

The Minor Foundation for Major Challenges (MFMC) is a Norwegian foundation that supports communication projects that advance the transition to a low-carbon economy.

We give money to people with new ideas for promoting zero carbon

MFMC supports projects that support urgent, large-scale transformation, with a focus on changing policies and practices in public or private institutions. The foundation’s priorities for the 2019-2023 period are to

– encourage and support innovation in climate communication

– increase the number of voices and narratives in climate advocacy

– help strengthen social and political movements that open up for radical change

– concentrate on supporting European proposals

The foundation will onlyconsider applications that clearly fall under its strategy. Further information about the foundation, including its bylaws and its complete strategy for the period 2019–2023, is available on the MFMC website.

Please note that the foundation will notconsider applications that have a purely local focus, that focuses on implementation of community-level projects such as forest conservation, tree planting, climate change adaptation, or that primarily seek to disseminate climate-related information to the general public.

MFMC traditionally announces six calls for applications every year, in two different categories: large and small grants.

 

LARGE GRANTS In this category, MFMC is looking for projects typically in the range of EUR 20,000 to EUR 200,000, although larger projects may be considered. The application process consists of two steps, where interested organizations are asked to initially submit a short pitch. Based on this, the organization may be invited to submit a full application if the MFMC board finds the project appealing.

 

SMALL GRANTS In this category, it is possible to apply for smaller grants of up to EUR 10,000 in a simplified one-stage process. Applications will be assessed by the MFMC board based on its aims and strategy.

 

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