NYDA Grant Programme

South Africa's national youth agency gives grants to young South African entrepreneurs aged 18-35 to start or grow a business, alongside non-financial support such as mentorship, business consultancy and market linkages. An individual or business can receive at most R200,000 in NYDA grants over its lifetime (R250,000 for cooperatives in agriculture or technology). Businesses must turn over no more than R750,000 a year, and applicants must attend a business management training course and pitch their business.

Amount: Up to ZAR 200,000
Eligible countries: South Africa
Who can apply: Individual, Startup, SME, Cooperative

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Eligibility rules

Applicant must be aged 18-35
Funder's wording
“Are youth from 18-35 years of age”
Applicant must apply at least 3 months before turning 35
Funder's wording
“You must apply 3 months before you turn 35 years,”
Applicant must be a South African citizen
Funder's wording
“Are South African citizens”
Applicant must be a South African resident
Funder's wording
“Are South African residents”
Applicant must have skills, experience or potential skills appropriate for the enterprise
Funder's wording
“Are youth with skills, experience or; with the potential skill, appropriate for the enterprise that they conduct or intend to conduct.”
Applicant must provide proof of attending a Business Management Training course
Funder's wording
“Proof of attending Business Management Training course,”
Business annual turnover exceeds R750,000 (R1,000,000 for cooperatives)Exclusion — must not apply to you
Funder's wording
“Businesses that have an annual turnover exceeding R750,000.00 except for cooperatives whose annual turnover must not exceed R1000,000.00”
The business or its shareholders received NYDA SME loan fundingExclusion — must not apply to you
Funder's wording
“Businesses or shareholders of businesses that received NYDA SME loan funding.”
The business or its shareholders still owe NYDA loan fundingExclusion — must not apply to you
Funder's wording
“Businesses or shareholders of businesses that are still owing the NYDA through loan funding.”
The business operates in gambling, pyramid schemes, loan sharking, the sex industry or illegal activitiesExclusion — must not apply to you
Funder's wording
“Fall within the gambling, gaming with a chance at making money, pyramid sales scheme, loan shark or sex industries (prostitution), and/or operates illegal activities.”
An owner or applicant is still attending high schoolExclusion — must not apply to you
Funder's wording
“Where the owner/applicant is attending high school other than tertiary institutions;”
Applicant has received more than R500,000 from another Development Finance InstitutionExclusion — must not apply to you
Funder's wording
“NYDA will not provide grant funding to a client that has benefited from another Development Finance Institution to an amount above R500,000.00.”

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