The Digital News Transformation Fund (DNTF) has received a memorandum of grievances raised in July 2026 by a group of publishers and sector organisations. The Fund takes the concerns seriously and is responding to them on their merits. Where a concern is supported by the record, the Fund says so and acts on it. Where it is not, the Fund sets out its position and the evidence available to anyone who wishes to test it.
Funding decisions at the DNTF are made independently. Tshikululu Social Investments, the Fund’s administrator, screens applications for eligibility against the Funding Policy. Eligible applications are then scored on merit by an independent Adjudication Committee of five industry experts. The Oversight and Advisory Board ratifies the Committee’s recommendations. Google, as funder, provides financial support and receives impact and audit reporting. Neither Google nor the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP) participates in the scoring of applications or the selection of grantees.
The Fund rejects the allegations of corruption, racism and favouritism. They are not supported by evidence, and they are contradicted by the published record and by an independent audit. In May 2026, RSM SA Consulting completed an independent review of the Round 1 application and adjudication process. The review found that the governance framework was appropriately designed and operating effectively, that conflict of interest controls were applied consistently with no undisclosed conflicts, and that Round 1 was executed fairly. It identified control weaknesses. The Fund disclosed them, accepted every recommendation, and implemented the corresponding controls for Round 2.
The DNTF publishes a full record of its grantmaking. The grantees from both funding rounds, with project descriptions, approved amounts, funding tiers and provinces, are published at dntfund.org.za, alongside the biographies of Board and Adjudication Committee members and a summary of the audit outcome. Round 1 funded 21 projects to a value of R10.5 million. Round 2 funded 22 publishers to a value of R15.8 million across all four funding tiers and seven provinces. Township and rural publications were among those funded at the Grow tier, at or near its cap.
Some of the matters raised concern the internal governance of the Association of Independent Publishers and the future direction of the Fund. The Fund is a private philanthropic initiative and will cooperate with any lawful process.
The DNTF recognises the severe economic pressure facing community and independent publishers, and the weight of expectation that comes with it. To strengthen the Fund and improve communication across the sector, the DNTF Board is establishing an Industry Forum that provides structured input to the Fund. The Forum is advisory and has no role in adjudication, so that the independence of funding decisions is preserved. It meets once a year, between funding rounds. Its Terms of Reference will be shared with all stakeholders to promote transparency and to help safeguard the integrity of the Fund.
About the Digital News Transformation Fund
The Digital News Transformation Fund is a partnership between Google and the AIP, administered by Tshikululu Social Investments. It supports the digital transformation and sustainability of independent South African news publishers producing original public-interest journalism.
Media enquiries
dntf@tshikululu.org.za
dntfund.org.za