Paul Streets is stepping down as chief executive of the Lloyds Bank Foundation after a decade in the role.
Streets will leave the grant-maker on 31 May to retire from full-time senior executive work.
Appointed as chief executive of the charity in 2013, Streets steered the foundation through both the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
Under his leadership, the foundation said it had grown its provision of unrestricted and flexible funding for small and local charities tackling complex issues and had championed the voices of those charities to government and decision makers.
In a statement, the charity said Streets recognised the value of its relationship with the Lloyds Banking Group, which funds the foundation.
“The deeper relationship Paul fostered has led to the foundation and banking group working together to shape and inform how the group supports its customers, particularly those who might lack ID due to homelessness or other circumstances or survivors of domestic abuse,” it said.
Before joining the foundation, the Third Sector columnist worked as a civil servant in the Department of Health, leading on public and patient engagement and experience.
He has also been chief executive of Diabetes UK, the Health Development Agency and the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board.
Announcing his decision to step down, Streets said: “I am proud of the work we have done together to reshape the role of foundations, to set charities free through unrestricted funding and providing support that works for them. And using our own power and influence to help bring people together locally and nationally to influence policy and practice as well as sharing power over how we ourselves make decisions.
“Equality, diversity and inclusion is vital and I am proud of making tangible progress in my time at the foundation, in particular through our commitment to charities led by communities themselves.”
Streets added that although there was still more to do, the time had come for him to “find out what life beyond full time work has to offer”.
He said: “I look forward to continuing to move the foundation’s strategy forward over the next six months in preparation for my successor.”
Ann Limb, chair at the foundation, said: “Paul is rightly acknowledged across the charity and grant funding world to be one of its outstanding and most dedicated leaders.
“Staff and charities the foundation has supported have hugely benefited from his strategic knowledge, policy insights, and wide networks and connections. He will be missed and on behalf of the board and all our partners, I thank him sincerely and wish him well in the next stage of his life.”