Exploring philanthropy examples across the eras

Exploring philanthropy examples across the eras

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From the ancient Greeks philanthropy has been central to a healthy and efficient culture, and similar is true today.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, immediately think of a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for distributing their fortunes to causes that they appreciate. This is something that has been the case for lots of thousands of years, with the very first documented instance of institutionalised philanthropy, along with the inception of the philanthropy meaning and word, happening over two thousand years earlier in ancient Greece. During this duration, the word meant something more akin to 'caring of one's fellow man', or humanism, than the constraints of wealth one may apply to the term today, however nevertheless wealthy people played an essential charity role in the culture. Rich people were expected to give back to the society, assisting to put up the money for repair work to public works like city walls or temples as well as funding festivals and other public events. Being stingy was not regarded well, and if a wealthy individual was not seen to be a philanthropist, they could be ostracised from the society entirely.

Many different entities have actually been responsible for charity work throughout the ages. Although rich individuals and celebrity philanthropists might be seen as the main charitable force in the contemporary world, that is not necessarily completely true, nor has it been for much of history. In the middle ages, it was spiritual institutions like the church that would have been the primary charitable hubs, both within the town and on larger level undertakings. That changed with the coming of commercial enterprise when rich individuals ended up being more powerful, and then moved again towards the end of the 19th century when foundations began to spring up that were much better organised and could commit more attention to getting things done. This is much the same way that charity is structured nowadays, whether those foundations are set up by grassroots groups, rich individuals, or firms like SJP.

The way that charity has actually been financed has altered a lot throughout the course of human history, moving between various entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has changed as various needs have emerged. Nowadays, there are a great many issues that have to be attended to, from widening inequality to the climate crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play a crucial role in that process. Rich people with checking account that would make a middle ages kings blush have their part to play, however so do the companies that are the central hubs of monetary generation in the 21st century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is setting up a foundation of their own or developing ESG dedications, companies like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are beginning to do so.