When money is tight and sources of funding are falling into the ‘slim-to-none’ category, any new grant programme or opportunity is likely to be welcomed with open arms. But with an unrelenting drive to make efficiency savings, the amount of funding available for publicly funded projects and programmes can be squeezed to such an extent that some charities end up subsiding the true costs of services themselves. This blog looks at why that's a problem and what can be done about it.