Checking out philanthropy examples over the ages

Checking out philanthropy examples over the ages

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Philanthropy has long been a central part of a fair and flourishing culture, but the way that it works has actually changed over the years.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, quickly think of 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 lots of thousands of years, with the very first recorded example of institutionalised philanthropy, as well as the inception of the philanthropy meaning and word, occurring over 2 thousand years ago in ancient Greece. During this duration, the word indicated something more akin to 'loving of one's fellow man', or humanism, than the limitations of wealth one might apply to the term now, however nevertheless rich individuals played an essential charity role in the culture. Wealthy people were expected to give back to the society, helping to set up the money for repairs to public works like city walls or temples along with financing festivals and other public events. Being stingy was not looked upon well, and if a rich person was not seen to be a benefactor, they could be ostracised from the society altogether.

Several entities have been responsible for charity work throughout the ages. Although rich people and celebrity philanthropists may be seen as the main charitable force in the modern-day world, that is not necessarily totally true, 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 individuals became more powerful, and after that moved again towards the end of the nineteenth century when foundations started to emerge that were much better organised and could dedicate more attention to getting things done. This is much the same manner in which charity is structured nowadays, whether those foundations are developed by grassroots groups, wealthy people, or firms like SJP.

The way that charity has been funded has actually altered a lot throughout the course of human history, moving between different entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has actually altered as various needs have emerged. Now, there are a great many concerns that need to be addressed, from increasing inequality to the environment crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play an essential part in that procedure. Rich people with savings 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 financial generation in the twenty-first century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is setting up a foundation of their own or establishing ESG commitments, companies like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are starting to do so.