“`html
You may perhaps have thought that Terje Rød-Larsen and his New York-based IPI reigned at the top among organisations that have received Norwegian aid kroner? Or Børge Brende’s WEF? But both fall into the shadow of FRI – The Association for Gender and Sexuality Diversity. Since 2006 they have in fact received 220 million. Last year alone, 28 new million entered the coffers from Norad. A substantial increase from the year before, to compensate for the loss of queer kroner from USAID.
After the American Department of Justice released additional Epstein documents, charges have been brought for corruption against three senior Norwegian foreign affairs officials and former senior politicians from the Labour Party.
According to figures from Norad, International Peace Institute (IPI) received 128 million aid kroner under the leadership of Terje Rød-Larsen. With Børge Brende as Minister of Foreign Affairs, President and Chief Executive Officer of World Economic Forum (WEF), the organisation has received 124 million aid kroner since 2015.
This has directed attention towards Norwegian aid policy in general and the aid budget in particular.
FRI has since 2006 received a full 220 million aid kroner.
Aid budget of 57 billion kroner
The majority of Norwegian aid goes to multilateral organisations such as the UN and the World Bank, or bilaterally to recipient countries. But of the vast Norwegian aid budget of nearly 57 billion kroner, approximately 12 billion kroner are distributed to around 500 so-called non-governmental organisations domestically and abroad. Two of these were IPI and WEF.
Of the 95 Norwegian non-governmental organisations that received aid funds in 2024, Flyktninghjelpen, Norges Røde Kors, Kirkens Nødhjelp, Redd Barna Norge and Norsk Folkehjelp reign at the top. These five received 5.2 of the 7.7 billion aid kroner that ended up in the coffers of Norwegian non-governmental organisations. Thus, 2.5 billion remained for distribution among the remaining 90. Document refers here to 2024 figures, as final 2025 figures are not yet available.
A preliminary review gives grounds for curiosity. Questions arise concerning the purpose, the achievement of results and not least a justification for why it is a task for Norwegian taxpayers to finance this.
– Our queer siblings in Africa and Asia
One of the organisations that received a substantial increase in its grant in 2025 was the association FRI. Then they received 27.6 million aid kroner, up from 18.8 million in 2024.
In 2006, after Jonas Gahr Støre became Minister of Foreign Affairs, a new epoch began for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans persons in Africa and Asia. The association FRI, which at that time was called LLH – Landsforeningen for lesbiske, homofile, bifile og transpersoner, received its first kroner to initiate its international attitudinal work under distant skies.
Since then, the aid has increased substantially and now amounts to 220 million kroner.
Document contacted them by telephone and subsequently by e-mail with questions concerning the purpose, what the money is used for, and how much goes to administration.
– FRI’s international engagement is broad and concerns the rights and lives of entirely real people – the lives and living conditions of our queer siblings throughout the world. The framework agreements FRI has with Norwegian authorities concern cooperation with 25 partners in 10 countries in Asia and Africa. In addition, we enter into partnership cooperation with a number of LGBT organisations in Europe, writes communications adviser Petter Ruud-Johansen in an e-mail on behalf of managing director Stephen Adom.
Stephen Adom (leader of the association FRI) speaks at London Pub in Oslo on 16 October 2025, after Bishop Olav Fykse Tveit expressed an apology to queer people on behalf of the Church. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB.
He states that 20 per cent (~5.5 million) goes to salaries to follow up all the partners, while 7 per cent (~2 million) goes to office rent, etc.
“A sledgehammer against equality from MAGA-Trump”
Document is aware that aid within several areas has increased to compensate for the loss of aid from USAID after Trump became President of the United States.
The United States, which this year is to refinance 9,000 billion of a total federal debt of 38,000 billion dollars, has had a massive focus on cuts in federal expenditure, including USAID, in order to obtain the best possible refinancing terms in the bond market. The country must then demonstrate an improved ability to service the debt. But this has triggered an intense debate.
Those who have followed the debate in the United States may perhaps have noticed the charismatic Senator John Kennedy (R) from Louisiana, who in his characteristic southern drawl stated the following:
“We found $3.6 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti. I kid you not. I am not making this up. It was in the budget under President Biden. We took it out. Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and the socialist wing—the loon wing of the Democratic Party—says: We are going to shut down the government until you put it back in.”
The association FRI reacts strongly to these cuts and calls it “a sledgehammer against equality from MAGA-Trump”. On its website it states that “the United States will spend one billion per year to combat LGBT rights globally. FRI – The Association for Gender and Sexuality Diversity warns of the consequences of Trump’s extreme Christian nationalist policy”.
It is unclear what the source of this assertion is, what this billion is based on and whether it is in dollars or kroner. Document has not received an answer to this, and this will be followed up.
International LGBTI leadership
Just over 20 million kroner of the allocated funds in 2025 are said to have been used in the countries concerned. A more detailed distribution of these funds and examples of concrete projects were not provided to Document.
On FRI’s website it appears that the organisation is a driving force for ensuring that Norwegian and international foreign and development policy prioritise the rights of LGBTI persons.
The I stands for intersex, and it refers to persons with variations in bodily sex development who do not fit into the typically binary categories of man/woman.
Nothing concrete emerges beyond the impression that FRI engages in lobbying activity. Document is aware that this concerns attitudinal work among religious and political leaders, inter alia in Kenya and southern Africa.
How the work is organised and carried out, the website does not state concretely. Nor does Document find any concrete achievement of results from the use of public funds.
The conclusion is that the only thing Document has ascertained is that approximately 7.5 million kroner are used for salaries and administration, while it is unclear how the remaining 20 million are used and where they end up.
Read more about FRI’s developing-country adventure:
Foreningen FRI etterforskes etter mulig brudd på millionavtale