Deadline: 13-Jun-25
Are you looking for funding to run with impactful community initiatives? If yes, then Social Employment Fund is right for you!
Managed by the IDC, this fund takes a collaborative approach to tackling unemployment by empowering social and civic organisations to drive meaningful change.
Themes
- The SEF will support employment creation that serves a ‘common good’ purpose that creates public goods and services rather than private ones. This includes work in relation to the following themes:
- Placemaking
- Health and care
- Community safety and action against gender-based violence
- Greening and the environment
- Food security, nutrition
- Education support, early childhood development
- Youth support and recreation
- Support to digital inclusion
- Community and public art.
- Area-based programmes that may include a cross-cutting mix of initiatives.
- Other social innovation
Guiding Principles
- The social employment strategy is informed by the following guiding principles:
- The work undertaken is meaningful to participants and also to the wider community, in that it serves the common good i.e. it creates public goods and services that create social value.
- Poor, disadvantaged communities are the main beneficiaries of the work opportunities created and also of the public goods and services delivered.
- The approach aims to enable skills transfer and human capacity development, building local capabilities and leadership to implement initiatives.
- Partnerships between public, private, civil society and community structures are promoted.
- Local capacities, resources and assets are leveraged.
- Sustainability is strengthened, including environmental, social and organisational sustainability.
Target Beneficiaries
- The target participants are unemployed people and the target beneficiaries of the work undertaken are poor communities. Participation of marginalized groups is encouraged.
Eligibility Criteria
- Successful applications should meet the following overarching criteria at a minimum:
- Be managed by experienced implementers with a verifiable track record of at least two years in the primary intended field of work.
- Demonstrate capacity to employ at least 1,000 eligible participants at an average of 70 days per ordinary participant for up to 10-months. Applicants will have up to 3-months to ramp-up their participant numbers to the maximum intended. Seasonal work is specifically excluded. These days may be adjusted or extended depending on the availability of funds.
- Be able to on-board participants to a digital system ensuring they have a valid bank account and identification documents. Applicants will need to monitor participants time-in-attendance and their activities.
- Lead applicants must adhere to the following minimum criteria:
- Be financially solvent and liquid.
- Meet KYC requirements which will be requested of short-listed applicants.
- Demonstrate capacity and robust financial systems to accurately account for SEF allocations.
For more information, visit Industrial Development Corporation.
