This question is important because:

You will probably want to keep your activity programme going after your initial funding period – as long as there’s still a need for it and you want to support your participants to remain active.  It is unlikely that the same funder will be able to continue to support you forever.

Key messages:

• Start thinking about how you will keep your programme going well in advance of your current funding finishing. It’s even worth considering this to some extent during your original planning stage.
• Keep an eye out for other possible funders – who is supporting other similar projects elsewhere? Consider both independent and statutory funders. Keep them informed about the work you are doing.
• Use your self-evaluation results to demonstrate your impact to funders.
• Consider how you might be able to use more volunteers in the project. Remember, though, that volunteers are not free – they need investment and support.
• Ask commercial companies whether they could sponsor your work in any way – for example by donating some equipment.
• Investigate whether or not it would be possible to introduce or enhance a charging policy to cover some of the costs without preventing the people you want to work with from being able to access your service.
• Find out whether you could work more closely with any other organisations working in the same area and share any resources. They might even be able to absorb your project so it becomes one of their services.