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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.

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