Subject Line: The conversation that decides whether your partnership survives the end of funding
The examples in this newsletter are drawn from real partnership experiences. Names and identifying details have been altered to protect privacy.
Who's This For
You're approaching the end of a funded project. The final report is on the horizon. And somewhere in the space between wrapping up deliverables and writing closing narratives, there's a question nobody has said out loud:
What happens to us when the money stops?
This newsletter is for anyone navigating that transition. For PIs who have built something real with partners and don't want to see it dissolve. For project coordinators who sense the partnership has more to give but aren't sure how to continue without dedicated funding. For anyone who has watched a productive collaboration end not because the relationship failed, but because nobody planned for what came after.
Here's what I've learned: when legacy thinking is embedded throughout a project, the "what happens now?" conversation rarely requires the question. When partners have been building toward continuation all along, the path forward emerges naturally. The challenge is when that thinking wasn't embedded — when the project ran its course and now both parties are looking at each other wondering who speaks first.