Treasury on opening of new Jobs Fund funding round to address employment barriers in green and informal economies

The Jobs Fund is pleased to announce the launch of a new funding round aimed at supporting innovative solutions that address critical employment barriers in South Africa’s green and informal economies.

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 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.

Key Details of the Funding Round

Target Sectors:

• Green economy (renewable energy/energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture/agri-tech, transport/green mobility, waste/water management etc.).
• Informal economy (street vending, small retail/manufacturing, care and repair work, etc.)
  • Grant Amount: Minimum R5 million
  • Application Deadline: 05 June 2025 @ 3PM
  • Matched Funding: 1:1 for private/public sector partners or 1:0.5 for not-for-profit entities
  • Sustainability Focus: Proposals must demonstrate long-term financial and operational sustainability.

The Jobs Fund invites 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 & funding, and poor working conditions. Successful proposals must provide scalable, implementable solutions with measurable impact on job creation. The application should be completed via our online application form, no late submissions will be accepted.

For more information about the Jobs Fund, the Term Sheet for this funding round, Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, links to our online application form, briefing and training sessions for applicants, please visit www.jobsfund.org.za or contact: jobsfund@treasury.gov.za.

For media enquiries, please contact:
E-mail: media@treasury.gov.za

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