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Last month, Sarah opened an email that started with: “We regret to inform you…” Another grant rejection. That was supposed to cover coaching costs for the next year. Without it, Oakdale Community Sports Hub had to dip into reserves—again. They’ve got three months’ breathing space, maybe four, before the treasurer starts sounding the alarm.
To make matters harder, their Sport England funding had just ended. They knew the rules: no chance of reapplying until the project was fully wrapped up. And even then, they’d be waiting months before hearing back. Best case, if they applied the day after their grant ended, it could still be five months before new funding landed in the bank. That left Oakdale staring at a gap of half a year or more with no guarantee of support.
Sarah and her charity are fictional, but their story mirrors what happens to real organisations across the UK every day.
If you’re involved with a grassroots group, chances are you’ve felt that same mix of relief when a grant comes in and dread when the next one’s uncertain.
If you’ve ever sat round a committee table with the bank balance dropping and volunteers looking worn out, you’ll know exactly how Sarah and her team felt. This isn’t bad management; it’s the reality of grant-reliant funding. The cliff-edge happens to the best of us. The question is: how do you build a bit more stability into the picture?
Let’s look at some practical, achievable steps that even a small volunteer-led committee can put into action.
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The Art of Stupidity 