The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) says on its own website that its Voucher Programme gives young entrepreneurs business support worth R6,600 to R19,800 per voucher, with no contribution fee, and that each registered business can hold a maximum of two vouchers per business development phase. Those are the terms on the agency’s Voucher Programme page, which we read on 6 November 2026. This funding watch sets out what the NYDA’s pages say today about the voucher, the grant, the free training and the small Thusano Fund, so a business owner can see which route fits before applying. The pages carry no publication date, so every detail below is “as at 6 November 2026”.
Who the NYDA routes are for
These are youth programmes. For the Voucher Programme, the NYDA lists these requirements: the applicant must be between 18 and 35, a South African citizen or permanent resident, and willing to attend entrepreneurship training if they have no business background. All members of the business must be between 18 and 35, and the business must be 100% youth owned and operating inside South Africa. Founders and finance teams outside that group should look at the other routes in our funding roundup.
The Voucher Programme: support, not cash
A voucher is not money paid to the business. The NYDA describes it as a way to buy business development services from NYDA-approved consultancy providers. The page lists the services as a business feasibility study, business plan development, a digital marketing voucher, e-commerce website development, safety files compliance and web-based accounting systems.
The process, as the NYDA sets it out:
- The applicant registers on the NYDA Portal, using the “Register” tab and the “Youth Enquiry” sub tab, then logs in and applies.
- The NYDA assesses the business against the service applied for. If the application is declined, the applicant is referred to an alternative NYDA business support service.
- If approved, the applicant picks an accredited provider from the service provider directory for the branch they applied to.
- When the provider has done the work, the applicant can endorse or decline it. The provider then submits the final product to the NYDA for payment.
Because the agency pays the provider, the owner never handles the money.
The Grant Programme: the cash route, with limits
The NYDA Grant Programme page describes a grant that comes with non-financial support such as mentorship, consultancy, market linkages and business management training. It is aimed at young entrepreneurs at “promising and new stages” of enterprise development. Several limits on that page matter before anyone starts an application:
- Businesses with an annual turnover above R750,000 are excluded, except co-operatives, whose turnover must not exceed R1,000,000 on the page’s wording.
- No individual or business may receive a cumulative grant above R200,000 from the NYDA over their lifetime, except co-operatives (the page gives R250,000 for agriculture and technology related projects).
- The NYDA will not fund vehicles, will not refinance existing loans and will not pay overdue SARS liabilities. Businesses that still owe the NYDA from loan funding, or that had a loan written off, are excluded.
- Applicants must apply three months before they turn 35, attend business management training, give a 10-minute pitch (in person or by phone) and pass a due diligence assessment. The NYDA also runs credit checks, and an applicant under debt administration is not considered.
The NYDA publishes a grant thresholds document, which we read today. It sets four bands. Threshold 1 covers R1,000 to R10,000 for registered and unregistered operating businesses. Threshold 2 covers R10,001 to R50,000 for businesses registered and operational for six months or more, which must provide one permanent job. Threshold 3 covers R50,001 to R100,000 for businesses operating at least 12 months, which must create at least two additional permanent jobs. Threshold 4 covers R100,001 to R250,000 for businesses operating at least 36 months, which must create at least four additional permanent jobs. The document is an image, so the band wording above is read from the graphic.
On timing, the page says applications are processed at a branch within 30 working days and that disbursement of approved grants is processed at head office within 30 working days. The branch committee’s decision is final, with no appeal, although an applicant can re-apply.
Our earlier NYDA grant guide covers the programme in more depth; the figures in this article are the ones on the NYDA’s pages today, so check them again before you apply.
Free training and mentorship
The NYDA’s Business Management Training page lists three courses based on the International Labour Organisation’s Start and Improve Your Business programme: Generate Your Business Idea (3 days), Start Your Business (5 days plus a mandatory 1 day pitching session) and Improve Your Business, split into two five-day courses, each with its own pitching day. Applications go through the nearest NYDA branch, followed by a desk assessment. The page says young people who want a grant or voucher but do not meet that programme’s requirements can also be eligible for training.
The mentorship programme matches approved mentors with young entrepreneurs, and the NYDA says mentee applications are made through its portal. The Market Linkages programme, per the agency, lobbies public and private sector opportunity providers to make opportunities available to youth-owned businesses.
The Thusano Fund: small, once-off requests
The NYDA’s Thusano Fund page describes it as an annual budget for once-off requests, administered by the office of the Chief Executive Officer, for requests up to and including R50,000 per candidate or organisation. It will not consider “business non quantified capital”, land and infrastructure, or events for profit making purposes, so it is not a business funding route.
How to apply and who to contact
The NYDA gives its toll-free number as 0800 58 58 58 and its email as info@nyda.gov.za, and tells applicants to register on its portal at erp.nyda.gov.za or visit a branch.
What it means for businesses
For a youth-owned start-up, the pages point to a sequence: training first, then a voucher for a feasibility study or business plan if one is needed, then a grant application sized to the threshold band the business qualifies for. For related routes, see our explainers on DSBD funding and NEF funding. Nothing here is a promise of approval, and the NYDA decides each application on its own assessment.
What we could not confirm
The NYDA pages do not show a closing date or an opening date for any of these programmes, so we cannot say whether a particular intake is open today beyond the fact that the application routes are published. They do not state a total budget, the number of vouchers or grants awarded, or approval rates. The voucher service sheets are images, and the voucher amount for each individual service is not stated in text on the page. Contact the NYDA directly for current intake information.
