Funding and Finances

On this page you can find our donors and our expenses. Our financial years run from March to February. Until June 2020, GroundUp was a project of Community Media Trust. On 10 June 2020, we became an independent non-profit company.

For income we currently are only reporting institutional grants and donations of R100,000 or more. We round them to the nearest R10,000.

Last updated 9 April 2025

Contents

Income and expenditure for 2023/24

Income (institutional donors)

  • Bertha Foundation: R550,000 (January 2025)
  • The 11th Hour Project African Journalism Fund of RSF: R1,110,000 (December 2024)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R2,750,000 (December 2024)
  • The Second Stella and Paul Loewenstein Charitable and Educational Trust, via Investec Philanthropy: R700,000 (December 2024)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R40,000 (December 2024)
  • Constitutionalism Fund via New Venture Fund: R1,800,000 (December 2024)
  • Oppenheimer Memorial Trust: R500,000 (October 2024)
  • Millennium Trust: R1,500,000 (September 2024)
  • This Day Foundation: R500,000 (September 2024)
  • Sigrid Rausing Trust: R2,760,000 (May 2024)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R2,000,000 (April 2024)
  • Millennium Trust: R1,500,000 (March 2024)
  • Constitutionalism Fund via New Venture Fund: R1,900,000 (February 2024)
  • Millennium Trust: R500,000 (February 2024)
  • Bertha Foundation: R550,000 (January 2024)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R2,850,000 (January 2024)
  • The Second Stella and Paul Loewenstein Charitable and Educational Trust, via Investec Philanthropy: R500,000 (November 2023)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R40,000 (used to pay Press Council fee, October 2023)
  • Idea Candy: R75,000 (used to cover some expenses on Thabo Bester story, September 2023)
  • Millennium Trust: R1,500,000 (September 2023)
  • This Day: R500,000 (September 2023)
  • Yellowwoods Social Investments: R500,000 (September 2023)
  • Sigrid Rausing Trust: R2,130,000 (April 2023)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R2,000,000 (April 2023)
  • Millennium Trust: R1,000,000 (March 2023)

Income and expenditure for 2022/23

Income (institutional donors)

  • Millennium Trust: R500,000 (February 2023)
  • Bertha Foundation: R550,000 (January 2023)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R2,600,000 (December 2022)
  • Google News Equity Fund: R220,000 (December 2022)
  • Open Society Foundation: R800,000 (December 2022)
  • Millennium Trust: R500,000 (September 2022)
  • Yellowwoods Social Investments: R500,000 (September 2022)
  • Millennium Trust: R750,000 (August 2022)
  • Sigrid Rausing Trust: R1,820,000 (June 2022)
  • Millennium Trust: R500,000 (March 2022)

Income and expenditure for 2021/22

Income (institutional donors)

  • Claude Leon Foundation: R700,000 (February 2022)
  • Bertha Foundation: R550,000 (January 2022)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R2,360,000 (December 2021)
  • Media Defence: R20,000 (December 2021)
  • Free Press Unlimited (EU): R80,000 (December 2021)
  • Open Society Foundation: R600,000 (November 2021)
  • Yellowwoods Social Investments: R500,000 (September 2021)
  • Millennium Trust: R500,000 (September 2021)
  • Sigrid Rausing Trust: R1,870,000 (June 2021)
  • Open Society Foundation: R800,000 (May 2021)
  • Free Press Unlimited (EU funds): R310,000 (May 2021)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R450,000 (April 2021)

Income and expenditure for 2020/21

Income (institutional donors)

  • Media Legal Defence Initiative: R15,000 (January 2021)
  • Bertha Foundation: R550,000 (January 2021)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R1,678,000 (December 2020)
  • Free Press Unlimited (EU funds): R730,000 (November 2020)
  • Millennium Trust: R800,000 (September 2020)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R123,000 (August 2020)
  • International Centre for Journalists: R170,000 (July 2020)
  • Sigrid Rausing Trust: R1,800,000 (April 2020)
  • Media Legal Defence Initiative: R35,000 (April 2020)

Expenditure

Management & Editing 2,299,796
Reporting 3,639,929
Administration (CMT Payments) 630,000
Overheads (Bank Fees) 9,443
IT, Equipment & Supplies 125,068
Legal 243,819
Marketing 15,417
Total 6,963,472

 

 

Income and expenditure in 2019/20

Income (institutional donors)

  • Claude Leon Foundation: R450,000 (February 2020)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R180,000 (January 2020)
  • Bertha Foundation: R1.8 million (January 2020)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R1.5 million (November 2019)
  • Millennium Trust for Viewfinder: R150,000 (September 2019)
  • Bertha Foundation for Viewfinder: R150,000 (September 2019)
  • Millennium Trust: R650,000 (September 2019)
  • Bertha Foundation: R550,000 (July 2019)
  • RAITH Foundation: R840,000 (April 2019)
  • Open Society Foundation: R900,000 (March 2019)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R325,000 (March 2019)

Expenditure

Management & Editing

1,591,516

Reporting

3,030,603

Administration

630,000

Marketing

30,929

IT & Equipment

72,219

Legal

284,742

Bank fees

7,521

Total

5,647,530

Income and expenditure 2018/19

Income (institutional donors)

  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R680,000 (January 2019)
  • Hazel Geffen Estate: R200,000 (October 2018)
  • Millennium Trust: R650,000 (September 2018)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R660,000 (August 2018)
  • Shuttleworth Foundation flash grant: R60,000 (July 2018)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R330,000 (July 2018)
  • Bertha Foundation: R550,000 (June 2018)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R360,000 (April 2018)
  • RAITH Foundation: R800,000 (April 2018)
  • Open Society Foundation: R900,000 (March, 2018)

Expenditure

Management & Editing

1,133,763

Reporting

3,089,522

Administration

606,864

Marketing

169,947

IT & Equipment

70,338

Legal

125,600

Total

5,196,034

Income and expenditure 2017/18

Income (institutional donors)

  • Claude Leon Foundation: R330,000 (January 2018)
  • Social Justice Initiative: R460,000 (December 2017)
  • South Africa Development Fund: R270,000 (September 2017)
  • Millennium Trust: R600,000 (September 2017)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R260,000 (August 2017)
  • Bertha Foundation: R550,000 (July 2017)
  • RAITH Foundation: R1,030,000 (May 2017)
  • Indigo Trust: R340,000 (May 2017)

Expenditure

Management & Editing

1,069,956

Reporting

2,255,341

Administration

558,369

Marketing

65,157

Website & equipment

73,524

Total

4,022,347

Income before 2017/18

  • Open Society Foundation: R800,000 (February 2017)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R250,000 (January 2017)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R250,000 (January 2017)
  • Cameron Schrier Foundation: R350,000 (November 2016)
  • Open Society Foundation: R420,000 (August 2016)
  • Bertha Foundation: R550,000 (July 2016)
  • South Africa Development Fund: R150,000 (June 2016)
  • RAITH Foundation: R940,000 (May, 2016)
  • Millennium Trust: R550,000 (April 2016)
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R250,000 (March 2016)
  • Open Society Foundation: R520,000 (January 2016)
  • Bertha Foundation: R500,000 for 2015/16
  • Claude Leon Foundation: R250,000 for 2015
  • Indigo Trust: R397,000 for 2015/16
  • Millennium Trust: R500,000 for 2015
  • RAITH Foundation R850,000 for 2015
  • South Africa Development Fund: R325,000 for 2015/16

Salary bands

GroundUp's editor's salary as of March 2025 is R74,284 per month.

Full-time journalists are paid either salaries or combination of basic salary and commission per article. Reporters' salaries can range from R21,000 to R45,000 per month.