New MDDA Funding Supports Community Media Growth And Greater Access For Underserved Groups

The approved projects comprise 22 community radio projects and 10 community print and online/digital media projects. These projects are drawn from all nine provinces of South Africa, reflecting the MDDA’s continued commitment to promoting media development and diversity across the country.

The approved projects align with the MDDA’s legislative mandate to support media initiatives that redress the historical exclusion of disadvantaged communities and individuals from access to the media and the broader media industry.

These approvals follow the MDDA’s annual call for 2025/26 grant funding applications, which opened on 4 July 2025 for a four-week period and closed on 1 August 2025. During this funding window, the agency received a total of 197 applications, comprising 79 community broadcast applications and 118 community print and online/digital media applications.

All applications were rigorously assessed by the board against established criteria, with particular emphasis on compliance with the MDDA Act and National Treasury Regulations. In line with the MDDA mandate, community broadcast refers to community radio and television, while community print and digital media include community print, small commercial print, and digital media projects.

Chairperson of the MDDA Board, Prof. Hlengani Mathebula, says the MDDA remains committed to providing both financial and developmental support to enable a diverse and sustainable community media sector in South Africa: “The disbursement of funds to the approved initiatives underscores the MDDA’s mandate to support a range of community media projects as part of its broader role in strengthening the sector. These initiatives place a strong emphasis on broadcasting and publishing in indigenous languages, while advancing inclusion by ensuring that disadvantaged communities, particularly women, persons with disabilities, and rural, working-class and poor communities, are meaningfully represented in the media landscape.”

To further strengthen the capacity of the newly approved grantees, the MDDA will host a Grantee Orientation Workshop in April 2026. The workshop is designed for all new grantees and will provide training on financial management, project management, business management, corporate governance, and compliance.

This intervention forms part of the agency’s broader support programme to ensure that funded projects are well equipped to manage their grants effectively, remain compliant, and account for public funds responsibly.

For more information and/or interview requests, please contact: MDDA Communications Unit | Ayabulela: az.gro.addm@alelubaya, 073 756 8461 | Margaret: az.gro.addm@teragram, 082 785 6071.

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