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

Overview

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), through its Career Path Development for Employment (CPD4E) project, is running an Ideas Competition for emerging and small nonprofit and community-based organizations in South Africa. It looks for innovative project proposals that create jobs and income-generating opportunities for youth, women and persons with disabilities within South Africa's Just Energy Transition.

CPD4E 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 with South Africa's Department of Higher Education and Training.

Who can apply

The competition is aimed at emerging and small NPOs, CBOs, NGOs and similar organizations rather than individuals. Proposed work should be implemented in the designated Skills Development Zones in Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape. Relevant fields include skills development, employment creation, entrepreneurship, inclusion, renewable energy, green jobs, community development and economic empowerment.

Proposals should show how the idea would help young people, women or persons with disabilities reach employment or income opportunities connected to the energy transition, and should be capable of being scaled up or replicated in other communities.

What you get

Successful organizations receive funding to put their ideas into practice, along with capacity-building support. The latter is meant to strengthen their ability to plan, manage, monitor and potentially expand their interventions.

Requirements

A strong proposal explains the problem being tackled, the innovative solution, who will benefit and how youth, women or persons with disabilities will be reached, the link to the relevant Skills Development Zone, the expected employment or income results, a realistic implementation plan, and how the work could scale and continue after initial support ends. Applicants should check the official call for the precise organizational eligibility criteria and submission requirements.

Key dates

The closing date is 11 September 2026 at 5:00 PM SAST.