The St. Olav Foundation emerged from the Estonian–Norwegian humanities research project From Nidaros to Novgorod: Cultures Along the Historic St. Olav Routes (2022–2023), funded by the Bilateral Relations Fund of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Grants.

The project was led by Professor Kersti Markus of Tallinn University in partnership with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). It laid the scholarly foundation for the development of the Estonian St. Olav Way, led to the establishment of the St. Olav Foundation, and resulted in the creation of the Foundation’s website.