Craft + Design Institute (CDI) 2023 SCALE [Support Creatives + Accelerating Local Enterprises] Program

Are you a craft + design entrepreneur ready to scale up in 2023?

Can you benefit from bespoke training and mentorship specifically for creatives + a boost of up to R23 000 in grant funding?

Yes? Then this new CDI programme is for you.

The CDI has opened a new call for applications for its SCALE [Supporting Creatives + Accelerating Local Enterprises] project, supported by the National Treasury’s Jobs Fund. The initiative is recruiting a further 100 South African craft and design entrepreneurs, who will benefit from bespoke training and mentorship specifically designed for creatives and a boost of R23 000 in grant funding each.

The programme in its first round of applications saw a high percentage of women and youth (entrepreneurs under 35) apply and the CDI is calling on more women and youth nationally to get support in this new intake of 100.

• Table of Content
• About Craft + Design Institute (CDI)
• Craft + Design Institute SCALE [Support Creatives + Accelerating Local Enterprises] Program
• Aim and Benefits of Craft + Design Institute SCALE [Support Creatives + Accelerating Local Enterprises] Program
• Requirements for Craft + Design Institute SCALE [Support Creatives + Accelerating Local Enterprises] Program Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Craft + Design Institute (CDI)

The CDI is a craft and design sector development agency with a mission to develop capable people and build responsible creative enterprises trading within local and international markets. The CDI is a non-profit company with over 20 years of success in developing creative people, small businesses and the craft and design sector at large in South Africa. The CDI is a catalytic agent of change, and passionate about developing appropriately skilled, resourced and digitally proficient practitioners who can successfully leverage opportunities for growth and development. The CDI currently supp... continue reading

Craft + Design Institute SCALE [Support Creatives + Accelerating Local Enterprises] Program

Aim and Benefits of Craft + Design Institute SCALE [Support Creatives + Accelerating Local Enterprises] Program

The project aims to provide growth-oriented informal enterprises looking to grow their revenue, increase their personal income or employ new staff, with grant support, access to markets, training, and mentorship.

Support offered through this project covers the most cited main areas of need identified by individual business owners in this segment: access to markets, finance, and capacity development.

Benefits:

• This second cohort of 100 selected entrepreneurs will start on the programme in July 2023.
• A Business Assessment may be done with each successful applicant, which will assist in creating a roadmap.
• There will be 3 months of specially designed training (via online learning), the facilitation of participation in the CDI’s market platform PEEK, and the development of an intervention/action plan development for the up to R23 000 grant disbursements.

  Successful applicants will also get administrative support to the value of R5 000 and a total allocation of airtime/data to the value of R3 000.

• The final 6 months of the programme consists of mentoring, the grant disbursements and financial reporting with an additional 6 months of tracking to determine impact.
• The grant will be unlocked as the business owners achieves specific milestones and can be used for the purchase of equipment and/or other professional services.
• Successful participants will be required to report to the CDI team on a monthly basis and be willing to participate in monitoring and evaluation processes.

The programme has been designed with an understanding that as a small owner-driven operation, you need to be hands-on in your business constantly and time is valuable. SCALE works with you, and for you to give you the best possible chance of growth.

Requirements for Craft + Design Institute SCALE [Support Creatives + Accelerating Local Enterprises] Program Qualification

The business will need to meet the criteria of our definition of an informal business first, namely:

o Turnover under R1m plus one or more of the following:

• Less than 10 employees, including business owner.
• Business does not have to be registered, however must at least have been in business for over a year.
• Business does not have to be registered for UIF, SARS, PAYE. However, must be aware and compliant with Department of Labour regulations such as the Basic Conditions of Employment Act should they have employees.
• Business need not have audited financial records, formal employment contracts or payroll. However, must provide and demonstrate some form of financial systems i.e. bank account statements, cash flow records and or books recording all business transactions which should be certified by an accompanying police affidavit.
• Business owner earns less than R4,000/month (National Minimum Wage).

The informal business must have or be willing to do/acquire:

• Complete all the required business development modules.
• Register on the PEEK market platform to sell their products.
• Actively partake in the mentorship programme.
• A laptop or smartphone or willing to purchase one to complete programme requirements.
• Develop a financial system and report monthly financial statements.
• Must have a bank account or be willing to open one.
• Consent to TryFetch API or the use of Yoco speed points as evidence of turnover.
• Develop an intervention plan for the use of their grant funding and report on activities and budgets linked to timelines and agreed upon business targets.

Preference will be given to individuals/businesses that meet the following criteria:

1. Townships, informal settlements, rural, and peri-urban areas across South Africa.
2. Youth, black and women-led businesses.
3. Craft, design, and light manufacturing sector.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

1. First read the full eligibility details and terms in the PDF – click here to download.
    
2. Kindly complete the attached Income and Expenditure template for your business and provide us any supporting documents like bank accounts statements, financial reports and cash registers. Click here to download the template
    
3. If you are eligible, please register as a CDI member if you have not as yet (here), and complete the form below.

For more details visit: CDI website.