Meet the Minds Behind Funds Online – Safa Musa

Did you know that all of the information on Funds Online is carefully sourced, gathered, quality-checked and written by our small team of expert researchers?

In this interview series, DSC’s Researchers share more about their daily work, the challenges and rewards of funding research, and their expert tips to get the most from Funds Online. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at the people and processes that support our subscribers.

In this interview, we sit down to chat with Researcher Safa Musa. Safa is our newest team member, having joined DSC in May 2026.

What made you want to work at DSC?

I have always been passionate about social justice and charity work, and I developed an interest in research through internships and volunteering. Naturally, DSC felt like the perfect fit!

What particularly attracted me was DSC’s mission of supporting charities working across such a wide range of causes. The opportunity to contribute to something that helps thousands of charities across the UK was incredibly exciting and made me want to be part of the team.

What’s your favourite thing about being a DSC Researcher?

I work primarily on Funds Online, researching and updating the funders information. Having not come across Funds Online before joining DSC, I was definitely surprised at how much research goes on behind the scenes to ensure we provide the most accurate and comprehensive information possible on thousands of funders.

I would say my favourite thing would be the impact our research has on our subscribers in helping them identify funding opportunities and secure grants for important causes. Before coming to DSC, I was working with the fundraising team at an NGO to research potential trusts and foundations so I know first-hand how valuable Funds Online would have been to use!

What challenges do you face when updating Funds Online funders?

So far, I think the biggest challenge I have faced is when funders do not include a beneficiary list in their accounts. Beneficiary lists are incredibly useful because they help us build a clearer picture of a funder’s focus areas, which of course we can then use to find the most relevant tags and help subscribers filter through potential funding opportunities.

They can also provide valuable insight into the types and sizes of grants a funder typically awards. This becomes especially important when a funder has little or no online presence, such as a website, and our research is limited to Charity Commission records and annual accounts.

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to get into the charity sector?

As someone who always wanted to get into the sector but initially wasn’t sure which path to take, I would say the best thing to do is start off with volunteering or interning at charities which interest you. This way you can gain experience and also explore which path you find the most interesting to eventually start a career in.

Prior to joining DSC, I volunteered with about 4 or 5 different charities, working on everything from a climate change stakeholders report to writing articles about successful NGO projects around the world.

Those experiences helped me realise that research was definitely the way to go! So as cliché as it may sound, finding an area you’re genuinely passionate about and gaining hands-on experience is one of the best ways to start building a career in the charity sector.

Where can we find you when you’re not at your desk researching funders?

When I’m not at my desk updating Funds Online, you’ll usually find me at the gym, binge-watching the same Netflix comfort show for the tenth time, or attempting to learn how to crochet – which, so far, isn’t going particularly well.

I would like to say I would be reading too, but unfortunately I don’t do that as much as I should. Although I have just finished reading The Covenant of Water, which I would definitely recommend!

To read more articles from DSC’s expert research team and access over 8,000 funders giving over £8 billion in grants, visit Funds Online.