Funding

We do not make a profit from our fact-checking activities or research. Funding goes directly towards operating costs, and any surplus goes back into research, fact checking or other social and philanthropic activities.

RMIT FactLab is part of the RMIT University's School of Media and Communication.

The university is a not-for-profit and charitable statutory institution, entitled to undertake commercial revenue-generating activities and seek funding through charitable donations and philanthropic support.

We greatly appreciate any donations, big or small. They ensure we have the researchers and resources we need to fight the spread of harmful information.

Public donations to RMIT FactLab are used to support fact-checking activities and the delivery of fact-checking support to disadvantaged communities, including a public misinformation tipline.

We do not accept donations from political parties or advocacy and lobby groups, and our funders have no say in our decision-making.

RMIT FactLab (excluding its third-party fact checking program) has received funding from:

• The International Fact-Checking Network
• Judith Neilson Institute
• The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
• Many individual donors (smaller donations)

Separately, RMIT FactLab's dedicated fact checking team receives funding from Meta for its work as independent third-party fact checkers, which involves fact-checking problematic content on Facebook and Instagram.

Public donations cannot be used to fund RMIT FactLab's work with Meta, which is separately accounted for in accordance with the university's statutory requirements.

RMIT FactLab has total independence and control over the third-party fact-checking process. That means Meta has no control over what we choose to fact check, how we fact check it, what we write or the rating we apply to the content. Meta does not see our fact check articles before they are published on the RMIT FactLab site.