Exploring philanthropy examples over the centuries

Exploring philanthropy examples over the centuries

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From the ancient Greeks philanthropy has been key to a healthy and productive culture, and similar is true now.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, quickly think about a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for distributing their fortunes to causes that they care about. This is something that has actually been the case for many thousands of years, with the first recorded example of institutionalised philanthropy, as well as the inception of the philanthropy meaning and word, occurring over 2 thousand years earlier in ancient Greece. During this duration, the word implied something more comparable to 'loving of one's fellow human', or humanism, than the limitations of wealth one may apply to the term these days, however nevertheless wealthy people played an important charity role in the culture. Rich people were anticipated to give back to the community, assisting to put up the money for repair work to public works like city walls or temples in addition to funding festivals and other public celebrations. Being pinchpenny was not looked upon well, and if a wealthy individual was not seen to be a philanthropist, they could be ostracised from the community completely.

Many different entities have actually been accountable for charity work throughout the ages. Although wealthy individuals and celebrity philanthropists might be viewed as the central charitable force in the contemporary world, that is not always entirely accurate, nor has it been for much of history. In the middle ages, it was religious organizations like the church that would have been the primary charitable hubs, both within the town and on bigger level projects. That changed with the coming of commercial enterprise when rich people became more powerful, and then shifted once again towards the end of the 19th century when foundations began to emerge that were much better set up and could devote more attention to getting things done. This is much the same way that charity is structured now, whether those foundations are developed by grassroots groups, wealthy people, or companies like SJP.

The way that charity has been financed has actually changed a great deal throughout the course of human history, moving in between various entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has actually changed as different needs have actually emerged. Nowadays, there are a great many issues that have to be attended to, from growing inequality to the environment crisis, and charity will inevitably play an important role in that procedure. Rich people with savings account that would make a medieval kings blush have their part to play, but so do the companies that are the central hubs of financial generation in the 21st century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is establishing a foundation of their own or developing ESG dedications, businesses like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are starting to do so.