21 grantees share R10.5 million as Fund maps where independent media is growing and pilots a new entry-level micro-grant tier
Johannesburg, 21 November 2025 – The Digital News Transformation Fund (DNTF) has awarded grants to 21 independent publishers in its first funding round, committing R10.5 million to support their digital transformation. The cohort spans legacy community titles, newer digital start-ups and niche outlets across all nine provinces, offering an early view of where South Africa’s independent media is heading.
“South Africa’s independent publications are closest to the communities they serve and best positioned to understand what digital innovation their audiences need. These grants empower smaller newsrooms to experiment, take risks, and build the digital capacity essential for their survival and growth in a rapidly changing media landscape.” – Vincent Maher, DNTF Co-Chair.
Projects in this cohort reflect the depth and diversity of South Africa’s independent media sector. They include Currency, an explanatory journalism platform helping audiences make sense of the economy in English, isiZulu and isiXhosa; Grocott’s Mail, which is transforming a 155-year-old newspaper into a digital, community-centred newsroom and innovation lab; Stokvel Talk, building a financial-literacy content and podcast hub around the country’s savings groups; and the Queens Town Innovation & News Hub, which integrates a local newsroom with connectivity and essential digital services for surrounding villages. Collectively, these projects demonstrate a sector that is intentionally multilingual, committed to audio and low-data formats, and firmly rooted in advancing youth development, education, small-business growth and financial inclusion.
Across the 21 projects, community titles are moving from a minimal web presence to genuinely digital-first operations. Longstanding papers such as the Kokstad Advertiser, The Olifants News, Winelands Echo, Highveld Chronicle, and Thaba Chweu News are investing in mobile-friendly sites, newsletters, podcasts, video, and data-driven audience insights, rather than treating digital as an afterthought.
Local language journalism is emerging as a deliberate growth strategy rather than a side-project. Outlets, including Currency, Inkundla Yezindaba, BT News, The Informer, Indaba News & Meer, The Sports Eye News, and others, are publishing in combinations of isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sesotho, and English to deepen their reach in communities historically underserved by mainstream, English-dominant media.
Formats are also shifting, several grantees are investing in podcasts, short explainer videos, livestreams and WhatsApp-based news updates, with many products designed as low-data services. This reflects the reality that for township and rural audiences, news is often accessed via prepaid data and entry-level smartphones, not uncapped fibre.
A number of projects are deliberately linking journalism with education, money and small business. Youth-focused outlets are working in schools and local sports structures, business-oriented initiatives are building content and services around stokvels, SMMEs and township entrepreneurs. Many publishers in the cohort are testing memberships, clubs, events, and archive licensing as part of their revenue mix, while implementing POPIA compliance, basic data-security practices, and early guardrails for the responsible use of AI in their newsrooms.
“The first cohort gives us a clear, data-backed picture of how independent publishers are adapting to digital realities. We are seeing deliberate investment in multi-lingual content, mobile-first products and audience-centred newsroom practices. The proposed microgrant tier will strengthen this momentum by ensuring that even the smallest newsrooms can take their first steps into sustainable digital operations” – Marietta Lombard, DNTF Board Member.
The first DNTF call for applications attracted 164 proposals, with funding requests totalling almost R163 million. Proposals were assessed by an independent adjudication committee of sector experts against criteria that included public-interest value, audience focus, digital innovation and sustainability, before being submitted to the DNTF Board for final approval.
Insights from this process have informed a proposal for a new micro-grant tier targeting very small and early-stage publishers with limited or no digital presence. The proposed micro-grants would focus on foundational needs, such as website setup, hosting, content management systems, and entry-level digital skills. If approved, the tier is expected to bring an additional 15 to 20 publishers into each funding call and extend digital transformation funding to the smallest community and independent newsrooms. The micro-grant tier is designed to complement the existing Build, Grow, and Engage tiers by creating a pipeline of smaller newsrooms that can later undertake more ambitious digital projects. Full details will be announced once the proposal process is complete.
All approved projects remain subject to the finalisation and signing of contracts. As the next step, publishers will join a kick-off workshop that will guide them through the reporting process, outline requirements, and provide support throughout contracting and onboarding.
The DNTF would like to express its sincere gratitude to the Adjudicating Committee members, Google and the DNTF Board for their continued commitment and guidance over this period and for the next 2 years.
For more information, visit: https://dntfund.org.za/
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FACT SHEET
Digital News Transformation Fund – Round 1 Grantees & Micro-Grant Proposal
1. Round 1 at a glance
- Grantees: 21 independent publishers
- Total funding: R10.7 million
- Applications received: 164
- Total requested: ~R163 million
Focus: Digital transformation of small and medium independent newsrooms across South Africa
2. Round 1 grantees and project focus
- Upstream Media (Currency News)
A multilingual explanatory journalism platform that helps ordinary South Africans make sense of the economy in English, isiZulu and isiXhosa.
- Whatsnews (Pty) Ltd – Explain News
A newsroom–influencer collaboration producing fact-checked short-form explainer videos for social platforms.
- Natal Witness Heritage & Journalism Fund
Digitising and monetising The Witness’s historical archive to preserve media heritage and support investigative journalism. - Papasha Media – The Olifants News
A township publication relaunching as a digital-first newsroom with youth training and podcasting at its core. - Williams 2050 (Pty) Ltd – Indaba News & Meer
A multilingual digital-news offering for Graaff-Reinet and the broader Karoo, built around a low-bandwidth site and podcasts.
- Xenor Projects
A network of township papers (including Orange Farm News) modernising its digital infrastructure and strengthening accountability reporting.
- Highveld Chronicle
A bilingual community outlet in Mpumalanga scaling its digital reach and cultural relevance through multimedia and deeper audience work. - The Grocott’s Mail (Rhodes University)
A 155-year-old local paper retooling as an engaged-journalism lab for Makhanda with a stronger digital and community focus. - Winelands Echo (World Focus 1431cc)
Transforming a historic community newspaper into a multimedia platform bridging rural and urban audiences in the Cape Winelands. - Vutivi Business News
Building the Vutivi Club and podcast as one of South Africa’s first SMME-focused digital communities and audio platforms.
- East Griqualand Printers CC – Kokstad Advertiser
A long-running community paper evolving into a digital-first hub for Kokstad and surrounding towns. - BT News
A bilingual isiZulu/English community outlet in southern KZN developing a mobile-first platform and digital audience strategy.
- Eagle Eye News
A youth-oriented publication linking journalism, literacy and education across the Joe Gqabi District.
- Zebra Digital Media (Pty) Ltd
A civic-media platform improving transparency and storytelling around CSI and NGO impact. - Stokvel Media Hub (Pty) Ltd – Stokvel Talk Podcast
A podcast and content hub that tells the financial-literacy stories behind South Africa’s stokvel culture. - Mpiyonke’s Dream Trading CC – The Informer
A bilingual community paper in Alfred Nzo District expanding into podcasts and live-streaming to reach remote Eastern Cape audiences. - Zini Advertising (Pty) Ltd
Reviving a closed local paper as a lean, mobile-first digital news and business-directory platform. - Inkundla Yezindaba Trading & Enterprise
A KwaZulu-Natal community paper transitioning to a digital-first, isiZulu-led platform. - Queens Town Innovation & News Hub
A hybrid space that combines a local newsroom, internet café and digital services to improve connectivity and information access for Queenstown and surrounding villages. - The Sports Eye News
The Free State’s only community sports publication, moving towards a sustainable digital model. - Thaba Chweu News
A bilingual local paper in Mpumalanga launching its first website to reach younger readers and expand its audience.
3. Proposed micro-grant programme (in development)
The DNTF Board has proposed a micro-grant tier designed for very small and emerging publishers that currently have limited or no digital presence.
- Purpose: Foundational digital needs – basic website setup, hosting, content-management systems, security, analytics and introductory digital skills
- Intended beneficiaries: Community and independent newsrooms that have struggled to access digital transformation funding
- Potential reach: An additional 15–20 publishers per funding call
The micro-grant tier is designed to complement the existing Build, Grow, and Engage tiers and to create a pipeline of smaller newsrooms that can later undertake more ambitious digital projects. The final design, eligibility criteria, and timelines will be confirmed once the proposal process is complete.
ENDS
About the Digital News Transformation Fund (DNT Fund)
The DNT Fund is a partnership between Google and the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) to support the digital transformation and sustainability of South Africa’s small‑to‑medium independent news publishers. The Fund provides project-based grants and capacity building to strengthen digital operations, audience development, and revenue diversification in public-interest journalism. It is governed by an independent board of diverse industry stakeholders and experts; neither AIP nor Google has decision-making authority.
Google is a global technology leader committed to advancing access to information. The Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) represents South Africa’s independent publishers, advocating for media diversity and sustainability.
Media enquiries
PR Powerhouse | Shaheer Lala | shaheer@prpowerhouse.co.za
DNT Fund Communications | dntf@tshikululu.org.za | +27 11 544 0300