The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening of the call for the Seventh Presidential Employment Stimulus Program, also referred to as PESP 7, issued by The Presidency through the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC). The closing date for submissions is Monday, 05 October 2026, 23h59.The NFVF has been tasked by the DSAC to administer PESP 7, a government initiative designed to continue the reactivation of the sector on the right path as outlined in the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan (ERRP) after the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The package aims to assist practitioners and companies with projects in their implementation stages to reach completion through financial support. The call also aims to support the sector through continuous skills development, focusing on the skills that the sector deems scarce.
The NFVF implements the PESP across two programmes, Project 1 and Project 2. Project 1 refers to job creation through grant administration. Project 2 refers to job creation through an internship programme for the digitisation of archive materials. This open call refers to Project 1.
Project 1 is comprised of:
Stream Group Format Cap/s Open Call
1 N/A Production and Post Production R400K 22 September 2026 - 05 October 2026 (2 weeks)
2 N/A Skills Development and Training R700K R1 million 22 September 2026 - 05 October 2026 (2 weeks)
3 N/A Marketing and Distribution R500K R1.5 million 22 September 2026 - 05 October 2026 (2 weeks)
The closing date for submissions is Monday, 05 October 2026 for Stream 1, Stream 2 and Stream 3. The call will not be extended, as the NFVF is working within tight timelines to ensure that PESP 7 is implemented within the 2026/27 financial year.
For the 2026/27 financial year, the DSAC has allocated R178 100 000.00 to ensure that the job creation target of 12 000 for the financial year is met. The breakdown of jobs is as follows:
Project 1, Stream1, Stream 2 and Stream 3 have a target of 11 800 jobs,
Project 2, Digitisation have a target of 200 jobs.
The project allocation cost of R178 100 000.00 will be distributed as follows:
Description Budget Amount
Stream 1: Production Group 1 R 72 000 000.00
Stream 2: Skills Development and Training R 34 720 850.00
Stream 3: Marketing and Distribution R 33 720 850.00
PESP 7 Project Appeals R 5 000 000.00
Administration fee R 7 658 300.00
SUB - TOTAL R 153 100 000.00
B) Digitisation: Project 2 R 25 000 000.00
TOTAL: R 178 100 000.00
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
Since PESP is a special project, not all provisions of the NFVF funding policy will be applicable.
Projects that can realistically be implemented between 15 January 2027 - 15 April 2027 (3 months) for all 03 Streams, within the specified budget will be considered.
PESP-specific funding caps will be implemented to provide funding to as many practitioners as possible, without compromising the number of jobs that can be created within the set timeframes per stream. These caps should NOT be confused with the funding caps of the NFVF funding policy as PESP is a special project.
The ideal projects would be those capable of employing at least ten (10) or more people at the rates specified within the funding caps per stream. This will be the minimum job target for Stream 1, Stream 2 and Stream 3.
It is critical for applicants to successfully secure all necessary supplementary funding prior to submitting their application for the PESP 7 programme. As the programme operates on a strict legislative timeline, no additional time or extensions will be allocated for applicants to source extra financing after submission.
Where a project's budget relies on external or multi-source co-funding, formal and signed letters of Intent from the respective third-party funders must be attached to the initial application. The inclusion of these letters of Intent is a mandatory administrative requirement. Failure to upload or submit valid letters of Intent at the time of application will result in immediate disqualification from the PESP 7 evaluation process without further review.
Applicants must upload all mandatory documents including the BBBEE certificate/a sworn affidavit, consent forms when applying for a documentary, proof of additional funding and letters of intent/letters of consent.
Projects still in need of funding from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and its related incentive programme will not be considered.
Applicants are discouraged from submitting the same project for consideration in both PESP7 and normal NFVF funding applications to avoid double dipping.
Projects submitted for the various streams should prioritise employment opportunities for youth, women, people with disabilities and previously disadvantaged groups. Preference will be given to applicants who have not received funding for PESP 1, PESP 3, PESP 4, PESP 5 and PESP 6.
Each applicant is allowed to submit applications for only one stream, limited to two applications per applicant.
An applicant may not serve as an advisory panel member for the same stream to which they have applied. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in the disqualification of the application and non-payment for any reviews conducted.
PESP7 will accommodate appeals.
AUDIO-VISUAL OPEN CALL STREAMS
STREAM 1: PRODUCTION OPEN CALL
PROJECTS CONSIDERED:
Fiction: Production Animations (Short Film/Pilot), Production Short Films, Production Web-Series, Post-Production Short Film, Production TV Pilot.
Non-Fiction: Production Short Films Documentary, Production Web-Series, Post-Production Documentary Short Film, Production TV Pilot.
PROJECTS NOT CONSIDERED:
Development projects due to the relatively low number of jobs they can yield vs production ready projects.
Long-formats proj
