Ways in which philanthropy work has actually worked over the last 2 thousand years

Ways in which philanthropy work has actually worked over the last 2 thousand years

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Philanthropy has long been a main part of a fair and prosperous culture, but the manner in which it works has actually changed over the years.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, instantly 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 recorded instance of institutionalised philanthropy, along with the inception of the philanthropy meaning and word, happening over two thousand years earlier in ancient Greece. Throughout this period, the word suggested something more comparable to 'loving of one's fellow man', or humanism, than the constraints of wealth one may apply to the term these days, however nonetheless wealthy individuals played a crucial charity role in the culture. Wealthy people were expected to give back to the society, helping to put up the money for repairs to public works like city walls or temples as well as funding festivals and other public celebrations. Being pinchpenny was not looked upon well, and if a wealthy individual was not seen to be a benefactor, they could be ostracised from the community completely.

Various entities have been accountable for charity work throughout the ages. Although wealthy individuals and celebrity philanthropists might be seen as the main charitable force in the contemporary world, that is not necessarily totally correct, 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 larger level projects. That altered with the coming of industry when rich individuals became more powerful, and after that shifted once again towards the end of the 19th century when foundations began to emerge that were better set up and could dedicate 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, wealthy people, or businesses like SJP.

The way that charity has actually been funded has actually changed 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 actually changed as various needs have emerged. Now, there are a great many issues that need to be dealt with, from growing inequality to the climate crisis, and charity will inevitably play a crucial role in that procedure. Wealthy people with checking account that would make a medieval kings blush have their part to play, however so do the companies that are the main hubs of monetary generation in the twenty-first century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is establishing a foundation of their own or establishing ESG dedications, companies like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are beginning to do so.