Unit was low on funds but raised this by the end of August (5)
I believe the answer is:
troop
'unit' is the definition.
(I know that troop is a type of unit)
'low on funds but raised this by the end of august' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is located in the answer.
'of' could be 'o' and 'o' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'rop' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'was' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for troop that I've seen before include "Squad" , "Group of people or animals" , "Body of soldiers or scouts" , "Body of soldiery" , "Parade" .)