Black Industrialist Scheme (BIS)
Black Industrialists are eligible for up to R50 million in grant funding on a cost-sharing basis with the Dtic. This fund is available to majority black-owned, managed and operated manufacturers.
The BIS programme can provide grant support of up to 50% of qualifying project costs, depending on the structure of the investment. However, grants are only one piece of the funding structure.
Industrial projects require a carefully balanced capital stack that may include:
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dtic incentive grants (BIS)
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Development finance institution funding
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Commercial lending
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Structured asset finance
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Shareholder capital contributions
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Blended finance instruments
Without this structure, even strong manufacturing businesses struggle to meet the requirements necessary for approval.
Uzenzele’s work focuses on engineering the full capital strategy around the BIS programme, ensuring that projects are positioned for investment readiness long before submission.
Uzenzele’s Approach: Financial Engineering for Black Industrialist Growth
Rather than approaching BIS as a simple grant application, Uzenzele treats it as part of a broader industrial finance strategy.
The process begins with a Finance Readiness Audit, where the business is assessed against the criteria required by institutional capital providers and government incentive programmes.
From there, the focus shifts to structuring the project so that it becomes investable.
This includes:
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Designing the capital stack for the project
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Structuring the funding model across grants and finance
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Preparing investment-grade financial projections
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Aligning the project with dtic programme criteria
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Positioning the business for institutional capital providers
The outcome is a bankable industrial project.
Download Brochure
Funder & Type of Funding:
- The Dtic
- Grant Fund (rebate)
Funds Available:
- Up to R50 million on a cost sharing basis
- 30% – 50% of qualifying costs
Qualifying Projects:
- Majority Black owned (51%+) manufacturers in any industry
- Includes new (start-up) projects and expansion of existing projects
Qualifying Costs:
- Plant, machinery and equipment
- Building and building improvements
- Commercial vehicles
- Business development
Requirements:
- Black ownership (as defined in the B-BBEE Codes) of 51% or more
- B-BBEE Level 1-4
- Proof of market
- Confirmation of “matched” funding – required for the portion not funded by the grant
How We Help You:
- Develop, prepare and submit applications (including bankable business plan and financial models)
- Application facilitation and management
- Claim preparation, submission, facilitation and drawdown