Free State opens 2026/27 business funding applications

The Free State Department of Economic Development and Tourism has opened applications for its 2026/27 business funding incentives.

The programme is aimed at qualifying spaza shops, small and medium enterprises and cooperatives operating across the province.

MEC Ketso Makume said the department had revised some requirements after difficulties experienced during the previous funding round, when more than 2,000 applications were received.

Proof of permit application will be accepted

Applicants to the Spaza Shop Support Incentive must submit identity documents and a productive investment plan. The plan must include a breakdown of the goods or services required and relevant quotations.

The department will also require a municipal business permit or proof that the applicant has applied for one. Makume said proof of an application would now be accepted, a change from the previous cycle.

That means a business whose municipal permit has not yet been issued will not automatically be excluded if it can show that a valid application is in progress. The identity-document and investment-plan requirements remain compulsory.

The adjustment is intended to broaden access while retaining compliance checks for public funding. It follows the volume of applications and administrative challenges recorded in the 2025/26 round.

The incentives cover different forms of provincial enterprise support rather than an automatic payment to every applicant. Applications will still have to meet the programme’s qualification and documentary requirements before funding is approved.

Prospective applicants should use the department’s official application channels and verify the closing date and full eligibility requirements before submitting documents. EBNewsDaily will update this report if the department issues further application guidance.