Deryck,
it makes me sad to read your leaving message, as I have got to know you as a very constructive and engaged person, and I think your input and contributions are very valuable to the movement.
It seems to me that we all kind of agree there's a gap between GAC and FDC funding when it comes to professionalization, esp. setting up an office and first staff. Also, there's the possibility of losing all the funding. That, IMHO, is a very dangerous situation for an organisation. Maybe it would help to have a process to "up-" or "downgrade" a funding proposal from GAC to FDC and vice versa, so in case a FDC proposal is not approved at all, there's still a fallback option.
Also, I think we should offer some guidance through the process based on the experience we made so far. As has been stated before, the step from zero to three employees is a big one. Maybe an early assessment of the proposal might have lead to other options and better success in funding. Personally, I am no expert in FDC funding, but can we not get a group of people together who are willing to help with such an assessment?
Best, Markus