Youth funding
Youth Fund
The Peo Pele Youth Fund provides youth-owned enterprises with tailored finance and business development support, helping young entrepreneurs start, grow and sustain businesses.
Opens the Old SMME Portal sign-in page.
Overview
About the fund
Turn your ideas into impact. The Peo Pele Youth Fund is a SEDFA programme created to support young South African entrepreneurs from the early stages of their business journey. It combines access to funding opportunities with enterprise-development support to help eligible youth-owned businesses become investment-ready, grow sustainably and contribute to job creation and economic participation. Funding youth owned businesses from R250,000 to R5 million.
The Fund places particular emphasis on youth-led enterprises in digital technologies, the green economy, agri-tech, advanced manufacturing, health and biotechnology, creative industries, the blue economy and the circular economy. Applications from other qualifying sectors may be considered in line with the Fund’s current criteria.
Eligibility
Eligibility criteria
The programme is designed for young South African entrepreneurs with viable businesses or business ideas and a clear commitment to building sustainable enterprises. Applicants should be ready to demonstrate youth ownership and active involvement in the business, provide the required registration and compliance records, explain how the funding will be used, and participate in business development support where required. The latest qualifying criteria published by SEDFA apply:
- Are between the age of 18 to 35 years
- Registered with CIPC and prepared to register with SARS & UIF
- 100% South African owned
- Adequately involved in the day-to-day operation and management of the business, with at least one member being a full-time employee
- Prepared to participate in Business Development Support and mentorship (pre and post)
- Commercially viable, sustainable and feasible business idea
Exclusions
Exclusions
The following transactions will NOT be considered:
- Funding towards a debt owed by the applicant with another lending institution (existing debt)
- Activities that have already been funded by other government departments or parastatals (double-dipping)
- Government and SOE officials are excluded
- Businesses in gambling, pyramid sales schemes, loan sharking or illegal activities
- Applicants with a record of fraud and corruption
- Where the owner/applicant is an un-rehabilitated insolvent