Let’s talk about something that fundraisers everywhere know is true, but rarely gets said out loud.
Sometimes, the thing stopping your charity from doing more good isn’t a lack of ambition, creativity, or passion.
It’s shelving.
Or insurance.
Or web hosting.
Or the fact you’re still using a wobbly chair that’s one spreadsheet away from taking you out completely.
Welcome to the world of “boring funding”. The unglamorous, often invisible costs that keep charities running, compliant, and able to actually deliver their work.
And recently, one brilliant idea has been shining a spotlight on just how broken our relationship with these costs has become.
It’s called… The Boring Fund.
The Boring Fund: A Joke That Turned Into a Movement
The Boring Fund was created by Christina Poulton, who works with small charities and community organisations across the UK.
It started, quite literally, as a joke.
Christina shared a post imagining what she would do if she won the lottery: she’d create a fund that paid for all the boring things charities desperately need, but struggle to get funded.
Things like:
- Accountancy fees
- Insurance
- Storage
- Website costs
- Basic equipment
- Core admin essentials
Not shiny new projects. Not exciting pilot programmes.
Just… the stuff that makes everything else possible.
But what happened next was unexpected.
People didn’t just laugh.
They asked, “How do I donate?”
And suddenly, this little joke turned into something much bigger.
Microgrants, Massive Impact
Through the Boring Fund, Christina ended up giving out 43 microgrants of £200 to small organisations.
Now, £200 might not sound like much in the world of multi-year funding programmes and six-figure grants.
But for a grassroots charity, it can be transformational.
One organisation used it to pay for storage for an entire year.
Another bought shelving for a food bank.
Someone else filled a trolley with refreshments and supplies for a new parents group.
Not boring at all, really.
Just basic, human, practical support.
And that’s the point.
These are the costs that keep charities functioning day to day, yet they’re often the hardest to justify in traditional funding applications.
Why Is It So Hard to Fund the Basics?
Here’s where things get frustrating.
Funders want charities to be:
- Safe
- Compliant
- Well-governed
- Professionally run
- Sustainable
But many still hesitate to fund the things that make that possible.
The “overheads”.
The “core costs”.
The boring bits.
As Christina put it, funders often want to pay for the food parcels, but not the shelving the food parcels sit on.
It’s a strange disconnect.
And it forces charities into impossible positions.
The Emotional Reality Behind “Boring” Costs
One of the most striking parts of Christina’s experience wasn’t just how many people applied.
It was how emotional the response was.
People were desperate for a £200 grant.
Not because they were careless or incompetent.
But because the funding system is often so complicated, inaccessible, and exhausting that even small amounts of unrestricted support feel like a lifeline.
Christina deliberately designed the application to take under five minutes.
No long narratives.
No jumping through hoops.
No pretending you need something more exciting than insurance.
Just honesty.
And fundraisers everywhere felt the relief of that.
Due Diligence or Mistrust?
This conversation also raises a bigger question:
When funders ask charities to prove themselves over and over again, is that due diligence?
Or is it mistrust baked into the system?
Christina highlighted something fundraisers know all too well:
Most charities are already doing incredible work on “two pound fifty and some buttons”.
They’re not wasting money.
They’re patching gaps with unpaid labour, stress, and personal sacrifice.
And when core costs aren’t funded, the consequences are real:
- Delivery gets reduced
- Quality drops
- Staff burn out
- Risks increase
- Organisations close
The boring stuff isn’t extra.
It’s the table the cake sits on.
What Happens When Core Costs Are Covered?
Christina asked applicants two simple questions:
- What happens if you don’t have enough money for the boring stuff?
- What would change if your core costs were securely funded?
The themes were clear:
Without core funding, charities cut services or stop altogether.
With it, they increase reach, improve quality, and reduce pressure on staff.
In other words:
If you want to fund the frontline, you have to fund the backend too.
Because right now, the gap is being filled by fundraisers’ mental health.
And that’s not sustainable.
A Scalable, Replicable Change
Christina isn’t running another round of the Boring Fund herself.
Instead, she’s making it open source, so others can replicate it.
Already, people across the world are exploring versions in:
- Ireland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- The US
- Kenya
- Guatemala
- The Gambia
This is how change spreads.
Not through another strategy document.
But through practical action that shows what’s possible.
What Funders Can Learn From This
The Boring Fund has already been raised in funder boardrooms.
It’s influencing conversations about what good funding looks like.
And it offers a simple challenge:
- Stop treating core costs as waste.
- Start treating them as essential infrastructure.
- Because charities don’t thrive on good intentions alone.
- They thrive when they have the resources to run properly.
Final Thoughts: Let’s Stop Calling It Boring
The “boring stuff” is:
- Stability
- Safety
- Sustainability
- Capacity
- Care
It’s what allows charities to focus on what they were created to do.
So maybe it’s not boring at all.
Maybe it’s the most important funding conversation we can have.
Find Christina Poulton:
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram