Thanks all. This turned out to be quite a thread. I’m disheartened by the request ending up being so contentious, but I’ve got mainly myself to blame for this. I wrote the initial funding request in a rush to get it out before the holiday break, wanting it to be short and high level. I did not imagine a scenario where readers would think I was being malicious, so I didn’t take that into account at all. In hindsight, I should have been clearer in my communication. Lesson learned. Still I hope most of you don’t think I was trying to deliberately sneak something past you: I wouldn’t have raised the request 3 weeks+ ahead of the meeting in that case. 
If you want to, it’s probably quite easy to misconstrue most things I write. For example, there was exception taken to the phrase “according to Google”. I wrote it as I wanted to make clear which source I used. Google does mid-market exchange rates, which means that you wouldn’t necessarily get the same rate if you went to a proper currency exchange, and I didn’t want to get accused of deliberately providing misleading exchange rates. Such is the irony of it all, that a phrase I added in an attempt to prevent accusations, ended up being taken as a provocation. It all feels like a humbling experience to be honest, I’m learning to make fewer assumptions about how a reader interprets what I write. I’m hopeful this will lead to my writing improving over time.
@chronos, I wouldn’t want to amend the request down to GBP 2,000, I asked for GBP 2,500 explicitly, and I don’t think I’m over-reaching by doing so. It’s true that I’ve been gradually asking for more with each request, but I don’t see that as an issue. It’s a way of iterating, and (hopefully) improving confidence levels of the work I do and the value it carries. If Grin devs/community/council/whoever thinks I should get paid less than what I ask for, then it’s up to them to say so and take actions accordingly. I think my request is a good deal for Grin given the time and effort I’m putting in. After taxes, national insurance contributions, and factoring in living costs in London, it’s still not a great deal of money.
@colincr33vey I think there’s definitely an opportunity for more non-dev contributors to be supported for their work. Just as with development, there’s always a tonne of more work we could be doing. Anyone who’s making frequent and meaningful contributions on a regular basis should consider submitting a funding request. And anyone who wants to help but doesn’t know how / what’s needed, feel free to ask in the forums or on keybase.
@johndavies24 I agree with others that you’re being off-topic. But since you bring all these past events up, I want to make clear that I think you are way off in your summaries of what happened and the conclusions you draw from them. I don’t speak for others, but if you want me to listen more to your suggestions and ideas, try to be friendly, constructive, and don’t assume I’m being malicious. I’ll have an easier time understanding where you are coming from then.
@paouky the fund definitely ended up being a mixed blessing, it feels like we’re stuck with it for better or worse until someone comes up with a better solution.