Case Study: Education Fund Management System

The Challenge

Several industry education funds were managing grant applications, payments, and compliance reporting using an unsuitable MS Access database built by a non-specialist using default wizards. The system was unreliable, hard to maintain, and not fit for purpose. Manual processes created risks around data accuracy, privacy compliance, and reporting all critical for trustee oversight and audit requirements.

Our Solution

Dark Arts was brought in to assess and stabilise the system. We delivered:

• Full rewrite of the core MS Access application improving reliability, user experience, and accuracy.
• Optimised workflows for managing education grant applications and payments to providers.
• Reporting to support trustee decisions and compliance obligations.
• Privacy risk assessment identifying potential legal and data ownership risks in off-the-shelf SaaS options.
• Ongoing advice helping the client choose a sustainable, fully owned platform for the future.

The result: the system now runs smoothly with minimal support overhead, freeing staff from daily firefighting. 

The Impact

By stabilising and improving the existing system and guiding platform choices for the future we’ve helped the education funds manage risk, meet compliance standards, and plan confidently for long-term sustainability.