Facebook is handing out grants to small businesses in South Africa
Facebook has launched a R8.5 million grant scheme to support small businesses in South Africa.
This forms part of its $100 million (R1.7 billion) Global Grants Programme announced earlier this year, which aims to support 30,000 small and midsize business (SMBs) in over 30 countries.
The platform said that the programme is targeted at stimulating economic recovery following the effects of Covid-19, which will help “empower and extend a lifeline to local small business owners who have been most affected”.
To date, 217 small businesses in the country have been identified for assistance.
Administered and managed by Deloitte South Africa, the grants will be provided as a combination of cash and ad credits to help small businesses as they rebuild, re-engineer and recover operations during this challenging year.
They will be available to qualifying SMBs in South Africa. To be eligible to apply, businesses must:
- Have between 2 and 50 employees;
- Have been in business for over a year;
- Have experienced challenges due to Covid-19.
Applications will be open from 27 August 2020 – 5 September 2020 at www.facebook.com/grantsforbusiness where SMBs will be able to see whether they’re eligible as well as find out more details about the programme.
Virtual training
As part of its initiative to assist small businesses, Facebook has also set up a platform to help with groups that need training, digitalisation assistance and improved social connection infrastructure.
“As consumer behaviour shifts online, Facebook has also rolled out virtual versions of its in-person training – Boost with Facebook across South Africa. These free webinars and online resources cover a range of topics from how to take your business online, build resilience, stay connected with customers and adapt in real time,” the group said.
In the recent State of Small Business Report, published by Facebook in partnership with the OECD and the World Bank, the many challenges faced by SMBs during this Covid-19 crisis were laid bare, specifically with 44% of SMBs in South Africa saying that cash flow over the next few months is a concern.
“We know small businesses are the engines of the South African economy, the Covid-19 pandemic has extended beyond a public health crisis to an economic emergency, with these small businesses most affected,” said Nunu Ntshingila, regional director, Facebook Africa.
“We’re listening to the challenges these small business owners are facing right now and want to provide useful resources for them during this difficult and uncertain year.”
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