Citywealth Forum 2025 speaker spotlight: Peter Goddard

Date: 04 Jun 2025

Karen Jones

Founder and Head of Private Client Services, IMG Trust Company (Cayman Islands). Former barrister with over 30 years of experience as a professional trustee in the international private client and trust sector.

Peter Goddard brought a distinctive perspective to the panel, focusing on what he described as “impactful grant-making.” Drawing upon years of experience as a trustee supporting and advising clients on structuring philanthropic vehicles, Goddard contrasted traditional charitable donations with a newer, more dynamic approach to giving—one that mirrors the rigour and intentionality of private equity investing.

According to Goddard, impactful grant-making moves beyond passive financial support toward strategic, measurable investments in organisations that are positioned to scale their services and achieve lasting social outcomes. He argued that this model is especially suited to philanthropists seeking more than a feel-good donation—those desiring real, data-driven transformation.

Core fundamentals of impactful grant-making outlined by Goddard include:

1. A strong business case: Charities must present clear, detailed plans with defined needs, services, implementation pathways, and self-sustaining fundraising initiatives.
2. Capable leadership: Charities are assessed on their managerial capacity, governance standards, and ability to execute their vision like a well-run enterprise.
3. Willingness to collaborate: Impact grants demand partnership. Charities must agree to regular reporting, milestone tracking, and semi-annual reviews. “There’s no donation without representation,” Goddard remarked, underscoring the accountability built into the grant structure.

Goddard gave tangible examples, including:

• A £2.5 million, 5-year grant to a Welsh charity providing near-immediate mental health counselling, credited with over 100 suicide preventions.
• A £7.5 million grant to expand a UK suicide hotline, leading to over 1,000 emergency service interventions.
• A £3 million, 3-year programme placing school counsellors into Texan public schools.
• A multi-phase initiative expanding bereavement counselling nationwide in the UK, designed to bridge critical NHS service gaps.

He noted that impactful grant-making is most resonant with younger donors who seek involvement and accountability in their philanthropy. By contrast, traditional donors, particularly older generations, often prefer a more arm’s-length relationship.

Goddard also addressed real-world constraints:

• Donor fatigue is a growing concern, with clients either stepping back from ongoing commitments or shifting focus abruptly.
• Smaller charities face persistent challenges securing multi-year support, often crowded out by well-endowed, high-profile institutions.
• Banking and compliance hurdles continue to plague charities, with de-risking policies leading to account closures or blocked transfers—especially for charities operating in high-need but high-risk jurisdictions.

Despite these headwinds, Goddard remains an advocate for unrestricted, multi-year grants with light-touch oversight, allowing charities to allocate resources where most needed while maintaining a strong partnership with grantors.

Takeaways – Peter Goddard

• Promote strategic philanthropy: Move client conversations from ad-hoc donations toward structured, multi-year grants designed for measurable impact.
• Support unrestricted funding: Empower charities to allocate resources freely within their business plans, reducing micromanagement and increasing agility.
• Use private equity principles: Encourage philanthropists to apply business investment frameworks—strategy, leadership, sustainability—to charitable giving.
• Emphasise engagement: Encourage philanthropists, especially younger clients, to build relationships with grantees and remain actively involved throughout the grant lifecycle.
• Guide advisors: Equip wealth and legal advisors with language and tools to initiate conversations about long-term, involved giving—especially for clients used to passive donations.
• Address donor and compliance fatigue: Acknowledge donor burnout and growing banking challenges as critical barriers, and explore practical solutions to sustain giving momentum and operational access for charities.

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