The Fundraising Everywhere Podcast The Boring Fund: Funding What Funders Won't
What if someone actually followed through on that joke we all make: "If I won the lottery, I'd fund the boring stuff"?
In this episode, host Simon Scriver sits down with Christina Poulton, the creator of The Boring Fund—a micro-grant initiative that started as an Instagram joke and turned into a movement that awarded 43 grants to small charities across the UK.
Christina shares how a post featuring her daughter's teddy bear as "Chair of Trustees" went viral in the non-profit world, sparking over 500,000 engagements and revealing a desperate need for funding that covers the unsexy essentials: insurance, web hosting, accountancy, shelving, and yes- even biscuits for community groups.
In this conversation, you'll discover:
- Why traditional grant applications are built on mistrust rather than partnership
- How Christina stripped her application process down to under 5 minutes
- What happens when charities can't afford the "boring stuff" (spoiler: they reduce delivery or close down)
- The emotional relief organisations felt when they didn't have to "dress up" what they actually needed
- Why The Boring Fund is going open-source and spreading to countries around the world
- How funders can learn from this accessible, transparent approach to grant-making
If you've ever sat on a rickety chair writing a grant application for someone else's shiny project while your own operational costs go unfunded, this episode is for you.
Find Christina:
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram
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