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Want to break free from the grant funding trap? Apply today to join The Reset before the deadline on 25 November.
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You don't need stronger applications. You need a stronger business.
If you work in the creative sector, you already know the drill: spinning gold from a shoestring budget, chasing the next project grant, and writing funding applications so long they’d make Tolstoy weep.
Chasing after pots of money has been the default approach to income generation and business development in our sector for so long, that most people barely even question it. The struggle has become so common it’s almost worn like a badge of honour.
But what if funding your vision didn’t have to be such a lottery? What if you could generate income through deliberate design, instead of pot-luck, arbitrary awards?
Since COVID, grant funding has dropped by up to 30% in real terms (in some UK regions, it's fallen by as much as 66% since 2010).
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Meanwhile, applications to funders have surged by 30–50%, with some programmes reporting over 1,000 applicants for 18 grants. That’s less than a 2% success rate.
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Oh, and the average time spent writing just one bid? 170 hours. That’s weeks of yours and your team’s time… for what might be a 98% chance of rejection.
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Even if you are lucky enough to be successful, the short-term, one-hit-wonder, project-based approach that most funders take means you can still end up feeling like you’ve had your wings clipped and are constantly trapped in the same cycle of feast to famine without ever reaching true stability. (And then there's the reports. Oh. the reports...)
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Whether you spend money hiring a bid writer or do the work yourself, the simple fact is that no amount of clever writing will make a shrinking funding pot grow bigger.
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What will help? Creating a strategy that will help you build a more entrepreneurial, resilient, and strategic organisation that isn't constantly reliant on crossed fingers, or having your ambitions held to ransom by funders' whims.​
The fact is, funding pots are shrinking. And no amount of clever writing will make a shrinking funding pot grow bigger.
Now is the time to stop scrambling and start strategising.
You bend over backwards to fit criteria that doesn't really serve you or your mission.
You rewrite the same bid twelve different ways before waiting 6 - 12 weeks for a response.
You’re told to find match funding and collaborate more, (usually with organisations whose income is no more stable than yours!), or to show how your work is providing employment opportunities for freelancers when you're barely even paying yourself (if at all).
Your vision, and the people and communities that you serve, deserve better than to be trapped in a cycle that has you constantly striving, keeps you in suspense waiting, but rarely delivers.
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You can change all of this by joining The Reset - the business incubator for arts leaders who are done chasing pots of funding and want to build something that actually works.
Your work is too important to stay trapped by the constraints of grant funding. By joining The Reset, you'll get:
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​The space and support you need to develop a solid strategy so you can move from survival mode to sustainability;
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Structured guidance to help you identify realistic opportunities to diversify your income and stop putting all your eggs in one (funding) basket;
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The chance to see your vision and mission move forward meaningfully, not just project by project
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Frameworks to help you articulate the impact of your work confidently (and simply!)
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Access to a community of other arts leaders to support you on your journey
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A strategy roadmap that will help you navigate the future with confidence
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How does it work?
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You'll get monthly live training, 1:1 coaching, group action learning sets and expert support from real-life humans who understand the challenges of leading an arts organisation.
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We’ll help you:
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Rethink your business model and income streams
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Design creative offers that audiences actually want
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Get confident about your marketing and messaging
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Build something sustainable, not just survivable
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Develop the entrepreneurial mindset needed to lead yourself and others
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It’s strategy — with soul.
What's involved:
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Live, interactive training every month
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1:1 coaching strategy sessions tailored to your organisation
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Peer feedback and support from a cohort of other brilliant arts leaders
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Toolkits, templates and real-life examples (no waffle)
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A final pitch deck for your business strategy (that isn’t death-by-PowerPoint)
Who's it for?
This is definitely for you if you either run, or work in a creative organisation and:
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You’re fed up with the tediousness and uncertainty of writing grant applications, but don't yet feel brave enough to let go of them
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You want more control over your organisation’s future
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You’re open to thinking differently about income, impact and growth
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You’re ready to be bold, but also need some help figuring out how
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The programme won't be right for you if:
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You / your leaders / Trustees are really wedded to grant funding and don't want to let it go
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Your organisation is averse to taking risks and trying new ways of doing things
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You're already knee deep in an executing an existing strategy and need at least 6 months to a year to glean results from that
We’re not promising easy wins. But we are promising the space, support and strategy to help you build something better — so you’re no longer just surviving the next funder cycle.
Programme Structure
Here's how you can transform your organisation's future in just 16 weeks:
Weeks 1 - 4: The Endgame
Any strategy worth its salt will always start with the end goal in mind. What do you personally want to achieve? What problem or challenge are you trying to solve? Once you have the big picture, getting into the finer details will become a piece of cake.
Weeks 9 - 12: The Message
Let’s get real about how you show up. We’ll tackle brand voice, visibility, and how to talk about your work like in a way that is clear, powerful, and simple enough to be understood by actual human beings!
Weeks 5 - 8: The Streams
This is where we'll really start to get under the skin of your current operating model and work out where your best opportunities are - what irresistible offers could you create for your audiences that will serve your mission and bring in cash?
The most important phase of the programme, this is where we'll put your strategy to the test to make sure it's really fit for purpose. You'll present your strategy at a Demo Day where our panel will deliberately poke holes in your pitch, but don't worry - we'll make sure they're filled again by the time you leave the programme.
Weeks 13 - 16:The Furnace
Let's talk monies
It's really important to us that everyone who joins The Reset gets a good return on their investment - that's why we're meticulous about choosing organisations that we believe are positioned to take action and put so much emphasis on achieving real results. If however, you find that you're not utterly delighted about your experience with us after attending the first live training, then we'll give you a full refund - no quibbles, no quarrels.
Four live bootcamp sessions
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Four 1-1 coaching strategy intensives
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Monthly group action learning sets
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Six months' access to sessions recordings and bonus learning content
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Access to our private WhatsApp community
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On-the-go helpline support in between sessions
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Priority access to learning and network events
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Discounted access to the Brabble Business Hub
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One-time payment
£1,850
Pay in installments
3 payments of £650
Four live bootcamp sessions
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Four 1-1 coaching strategy intensives
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Monthly group action learning sets
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Six months' access to sessions recordings and bonus learning content
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Access to our private WhatsApp community
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On-the-go helpline support in between sessions
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Priority access to learning and network events
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Discounted access to the Brabble Business Hub
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Want £100 off? Submit your application by Wednesday 27th August and you'll automatically receive a £100 discount on fees if your application is successful.
Meet Your Coach
Ceri Sunu
Founder and Lead Coach at Brabble
Ceri is a seasoned fundraising and business development strategist with more than a decade of experience in the charity sector.
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An ILM Level 5 trained Coach, Ceri has been delivering training and education initiatives since the age of 16, and in 2021 gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Organisational Psychology to supplement her experience as a consultant and trainer. She has supported fundraisers from organisations of all sizes to develop their fundraising and leadership skills, working as a mentor for the Small Charities Coalition, and as a trusted partner and repeatedly booked speaker for Fundraising Everywhere, a learning and development platform for fundraisers.
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An entrepreneur at heart, Ceri’s approach to fundraising combines best-practice innovations in business development and social enterprise, taking a practical, results-oriented approach which will equip participants with actionable tools and insights to elevate their fundraising efforts. As well as heading up business development and fundraising for chamber orchestra the London Mozart Players, Ceri has previously served as a Trustee for Play for Progress, an arts charity providing trauma-informed therapeutic support for unaccompanied asylum seekers and refugees, acted as a social prescription choir leader for Singing Mamas CIC, and led on the marketing for UCL's EDUCATE programme, an incubator for EdTech entrepreneurs.
Suffice to say, you'll be in safe hands.
"We met Ceri at a Fundraising Bootcamp and were expecting the session to be more about traditional fundraising methods, but we couldn't have been more wrong! She really focused on taking a more entrepreneurial approach and got everyone thinking about how to create new streams of income beyond donations - it was really powerful to see other people in the group realising the true value of their artistry and expertise and helped to affirm the direction we were going in. "
Martha Harrison & Daz Scott
Co-Founders @ Calico Theatre
Like the sound of the programme, but not sure if it's right for you? It's ok, we get it. You might be thinking: ​
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"We really don’t have time for this right now."
When you're already busy spinning lots of plates, a 16-week programme might feel like a stretch too far. But here's the thing: investing time in your business strategy isn't an optional luxury - it's an absolute necessity. Whether you do the programme or not, you're still going to spend the same 16 weeks working (unless you decide to gallavant off somewhere on sabbatical!) - the difference will be how much of that time you spend firefighting and reacting, versus planning ahead. Focus is power, and 16 weeks of focused work now could save you 16 months of scrambling later. The whole point of the programme is to make sure that once you're done, you're ready to run - that's why we call it an accelerator. This isn’t extra work — it’s the work that makes everything else easier.
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"We can’t afford it."
We get it. Budgets are tighter than ever. But if you're spending months on applications with a 2% success rate, and you don't already have alternative sources of income in place, it might be time to ask: can you afford not to invest in a better plan?
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"What if we just end up being told stuff we already know?"
Honestly? It's likely that not everything you hear on the programme will be brand new information to you. But the value isn’t in hearing it — it’s in doing it. This programme is about putting strategy into motion with accountability, support and fresh thinking. If a lack of knowledge isn't your issue, then it might just mean that you're a serial CPD-er who goes on loads of training but doesn't implement the learning, (sorry, not sorry) in which case having a space which focuses on actions and results might be exactly what you need.
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"We’ve tried things like this before and nothing changed."
Yep — we’ve heard this one too. Here’s how this is different: this isn’t a toolkit download or a few webinars in disguise. You get live, interactive training, coaching tailored to your organisation, and the space to actually apply what you’re learning — with someone in your corner.
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"We’re too small / too niche / too chaotic for this to work."
You’re exactly who this is for. We’ve built this with the real creative sector in mind — shoestring teams, too many hats, chaotic spreadsheets and all. No polished perfection required. Just readiness to try something different.
Frequently asked questions
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Still have questions? Book a call with us and let's have a chat.