Crown Princess Märtha’s Memorial Fund provides financial support for social and humanitarian measures in organizations and associations. The fund was established on 1 April 1929 under the name “Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Märtha’s Fund”.
After the Crown Princess death on 5 April 1954, it was decided that the work of the fund should be continued under the name Crown Princess Märtha’s Memorial Fund, in memory of the Crown Princess’ concern for her fellow human beings. Princess Astrid, who turned 90 in February 2022, still leads the fund board as part of her official work.
On March 17th 2022, Princess Astrid chaired the annual meeting of Crown Princess Märtha’s Memorial Fund at the Royal Palace in Oslo. After the meeting, it was clear that a number of organizations, teams and associations across Norway had been awarded support for social and humanitarian initiatives from Crown Princess Märtha’s Memorial Fund.
Following the meeting, the following statement from Princess Astrid was published: “It is a pleasure for me that every year in connection with my mother, Crown Princess Märtha’s birthday, I am so lucky that I am allowed to distribute money for social and humanitarian initiatives in organizations and associations from all over Norway”.
This year, 211 applications for financial support from the Memorial Fund had been received. Under the leadership of the Princess, the annual meeting resolved to grant 130 applications. After the annual meeting, King Harald held lunch for the foundation’s board at the Royal Palace.
The recipients are health care associations, pensioners’ associations and organizations that work for the benefit of people with diagnoses and challenges of various kinds. Typical measures that are supported are travel, lectures and other events of a social nature.
The annual meeting is always held in connection with Crown Princess Märtha’s birthday on 28 March. Crown Princess Märtha was the daughter of the Swedish Prince Carl and the Danish Princess Ingeborg. She had the title of both Swedish and Norwegian princess until the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905. She married her cousin Crown Prince Olav in 1929 and was set to become Queen of Norway. However, she died of cancer in 1954 at the age of 53, several years before Olav became King of Norway.
