From the ancient Greeks philanthropy has actually been central to a healthy and efficient culture, and much the same holds true these days.
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 lots of thousands of years, with the first chronicled instance of institutionalised philanthropy, along with the source of the philanthropy meaning and word, taking place over two 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 rich individuals played an essential charity role in the culture. Wealthy people were expected to give back to the society, helping to install the cash for repair work to public works like city walls or temples as well as financing celebrations 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 seen as the main charitable force in the modern-day world, that is not necessarily completely 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 main charitable hubs, both within the town and on bigger level projects. That altered with the coming of commercial enterprise when wealthy individuals ended up being more powerful, and after that shifted again towards the end of the 19th century when foundations started to spring up that were better set up and could commit 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 been funded has 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 dealt with, from rising inequality to the environment crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play an important role in that process. 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 main 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 establishing ESG commitments, companies like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are beginning to do so.