Philanthropy has long been a main part of a fair and flourishing culture, but the manner in which it works has changed throughout the years.
One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, immediately think of a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for handing out their fortunes to causes that they appreciate. This is something that has held true for many thousands of years, with the very first recorded example of institutionalised philanthropy, in addition to the genesis of the philanthropy meaning and word, happening over 2 thousand years ago in ancient Greece. During this duration, the word implied something more comparable to 'loving of one's fellow human being', or humanism, than the constraints of wealth one might apply to the term now, however nevertheless rich people played an essential charity role in the culture. Rich people were expected to give back to the society, assisting to put up the money for repair work to public works like city walls or temples as well as financing celebrations and other public celebrations. Being pinchpenny was not regarded well, and if a wealthy individual was not seen to be a benefactor, they could be ostracised from the community entirely.
Several entities have been accountable for charity work throughout the ages. Although rich individuals and celebrity philanthropists may be viewed as the main charitable force in the modern world, that is not always 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 community and on larger level ventures. That altered with the coming of commercial enterprise when wealthy individuals ended up being more powerful, and after that moved again towards the end of the nineteenth century when foundations started 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 built by grassroots groups, wealthy individuals, or businesses like SJP.
The manner in which charity has actually been financed has changed a good 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 altered as various needs have emerged. These days, there are a great many problems 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 bank accounts that would make a medieval kings blush have their part to play, but so do the businesses that are the central hubs 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 dedications, businesses like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are starting to do so.