Jobs Fund in South Africa launches new funding round for green projects

• The Jobs Fund in South Africa has announced the launch of a new round for projects with funding of a minimum of R5 million in South Africa’s green and informal economies.

“The Fund is calling proposals from the public, private, and not-for-profit sector intermediaries that address key labour market barriers, such as technology, enabling infrastructure, regulations, access to markets and funding, and poor working conditions,” National Treasury said on Wednesday.

Successful proposals must provide scalable, implementable solutions with measurable impact on job creation.

Green economy projects include among others, renewable energy/energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture/agri-tech, transport/green mobility, waste/water management, while the informal economy includes street vending, small retail/manufacturing, care and repair work.

“Previous funding rounds have seen R7.4 billion being disbursed to Jobs Fund Partners, resulting in the creation of 210,719 permanent jobs, 114,534 short-term jobs/internships and more than 63 000 SMMES [Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises], and 16 000 emerging farmers supported.

“This initiative comes at a time when unemployment, especially among youth and women, remains a pressing challenge. The Fund seeks to support creative, scalable interventions that will contribute to sustainable job creation and stimulate inclusive economic growth in high labour absorptive sectors,” National Treasury said.

The application deadline for the grant funding is 05 June 2025 at 3pm.

More information about the Jobs Fund, the Term Sheet for this funding round, Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, links to the online application form, briefing and training sessions for applicants, can be found on www.jobsfund.org.za or contact: jobsfund@treasury.gov.za

Author: Bryan Groenendaal