Exploring philanthropy examples across the eras

Exploring 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 stretches over two thousands years.

One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, quickly think about a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for handing out their fortunes to causes that they care about. This is something that has actually held true for many thousands of years, with the first chronicled example of institutionalised philanthropy, in addition to the origin of the philanthropy meaning and word, taking place over 2 thousand years ago in ancient Greece. Throughout this duration, the word implied something more akin to 'caring of one's fellow human being', or humanism, than the limitations of wealth one might apply to the term nowadays, but nonetheless wealthy people played an essential charity role in the culture. Wealthy people were anticipated to give back to the community, assisting to set up the money for repairs 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 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 main charitable centers, both within the community and on bigger 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 nineteenth century when foundations began to emerge that were better set up and could devote more attention to getting things done. This is much the same manner in which charity is structured nowadays, whether those foundations are set up by grassroots groups, wealthy individuals, or firms like SJP.

The way that charity has actually been funded has altered a great deal 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 centers of monetary generation in the twenty-first 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.