Alliance is right to focus on the important role of intermediaries in the philanthropy sector but your emphasis on wealth advisers, private banks and other consultants may be misdirected. The most critical intermediaries to the philanthropic sector are arguably foundation directors and other professionals working at foundations. They are intermediaries between individual philanthropists and what they do philanthropically. They are responsible for developing strategies to spend significant resources to address social issues in the UK and beyond. The voices of these professionals need to be heard.

Equally, more time and money needs to be invested by foundation practitioners in the academic field of philanthropy studies to help foster deeper and more critical thinking about all aspects of our work.

Charles Keidan
Director, Pears Foundation