Checking out philanthropy examples across the eras

Checking out philanthropy examples across the eras

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Charity is not a modern-day phenomenon by any means, but has an abundant and progressing history that extends over two thousands years.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, instantly think of a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for giving away their fortunes to causes that they care about. This is something that has been the case for many thousands of years, with the first documented instance of institutionalised philanthropy, in addition to the inception of the philanthropy meaning and word, taking place over 2 thousand years earlier in ancient Greece. Throughout this duration, the word suggested something more comparable to 'caring of one's fellow man', or humanism, than the restrictions of wealth one might apply to the term today, but nevertheless wealthy individuals played an important charity role in the culture. Wealthy people were expected to give back to the community, assisting to install the money for repair work to public works like city walls or temples along with funding celebrations and other public events. Being pinchpenny was not regarded well, and if a wealthy person was not seen to be a philanthropist, they could be ostracised from the community altogether.

Many different entities have been responsible for charity work throughout the ages. Although wealthy people and celebrity philanthropists might be viewed as the main charitable force in the contemporary world, that is not always completely correct, nor has it been for much of history. In the middle ages, it was religious institutions like the church that would have been the main charitable hubs, both within the town and on bigger level undertakings. That altered with the coming of commercial enterprise when wealthy individuals became more powerful, and then moved once again towards the end of the 19th century when foundations began to spring up that were much better set up and could dedicate more attention to getting things done. This is much the same manner in which charity is structured these days, whether those foundations are developed by grassroots groups, wealthy people, or firms like SJP.

The manner in which charity has been funded has altered a lot throughout the course of human history, moving in between different entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has altered as various requirements have emerged. These days, there are a great many issues that need to be resolved, from rising inequality to the climate crisis, and charity will inevitably play an important part in that procedure. Wealthy individuals with savings account that would make a middle ages kings blush have their part to play, but so do the companies that are the main centers of financial generation in the twenty-first century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is establishing a foundation of their own or developing ESG commitments, companies like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are beginning to do so.