GIZ South Africa Ideas Competition 2026: Funding for NPOs, CBOs and NGOs Creating Jobs Through the Just Energy Transition

Overview

The GIZ South Africa Ideas Competition is hosted through the Career Path Development for Employment (CPD4E) project, which is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), and implemented in partnership with South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). The initiative seeks practical, innovative solutions to tackle employment and income-generation challenges connected to South Africa's Just Energy Transition.

Selected organizations will deploy their projects within designated Skills Development Zones located in Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape.

Eligibility

• Open to emerging and small nonprofit organizations (NPOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and similar entities.
• Must focus on priority beneficiaries including youth, women, and persons with disabilities.
• Must implement projects within the targeted Skills Development Zones: Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape.

Benefits

• Financial support to implement proposed project ideas and move them into practical execution.
• Capacity-building support to strengthen institutional capabilities, project management, implementation, and potential scaling.

How to Apply

Applicants should review all official competition requirements, prepare a detailed project proposal demonstrating clear problem analysis, innovative solutions, and feasibility, and submit before the stated deadline via the official application channel.

Deadline

The application deadline is 11 September 2026 at 5:00 PM SAST.