Philanthropy
During the Middle Ages, philanthrôpía was superseded in Europe by the Christian virtue of charity (Latin: caritas) in the sense of selfless love, valued for salvation and escape from purgatory.
"[6][better source needed] In London, prior to the 18th century, parochial and civic charities were typically established by bequests and operated by local church parishes (such as St Dionis Backchurch) or guilds (such as the Carpenters' Company).
[7] In 1739, Thomas Coram, appalled by the number of abandoned children living on the streets of London, received a royal charter to establish the Foundling Hospital to look after these unwanted orphans in Lamb's Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury.
"[7] Jonas Hanway, another notable philanthropist of the era, established The Marine Society in 1756 as the first seafarer's charity, in a bid to aid the recruitment of men to the navy.
They raised public awareness of their activities through the emerging popular press and were generally held in high social regard—some charities received state recognition in the form of the Royal Charter.
[10] Although there were no slaves allowed in Britain itself, many rich men owned sugar plantations in the West Indies, and resisted the movement to buy them out until it finally succeeded in 1833.
They included a wide range of religious and secular goals, with the American import, YMCA, as one of the largest, and many small ones, such as the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain Association.
In 1844 it became the first Model Dwellings Company—an organization that sought to improve the housing conditions of the working classes by building new homes for them, while at the same time receiving a competitive rate of return on any investment.
Suspicions, especially by London, of ICRC as too tolerant or even complicit with Nazi Germany led to its side-lining in favour of the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) as the primary humanitarian agency after 1945.
[17] The Pasteur Institute had a monopoly of specialized microbiological knowledge, allowing it to raise money for serum production from private and public sources, walking the line between a commercial pharmaceutical venture and a philanthropic enterprise.
The Rockefeller Foundation opened an office in Paris and helped design and fund France's modern public health system under the National Institute of Hygiene.
Starting in the early 19th century, the rapidly emerging middle classes made local philanthropy a way to establish their legitimate role in shaping society, pursuing ends different from the aristocracy and the military.
The bourgeoisie (upper-middle class) was defeated in its effort to gain political control in 1848, but it still had enough money and organizational skills that could be employed through philanthropic agencies to provide an alternative power base for its worldview.
Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, an upper class Junker, used his state-sponsored philanthropy, in the form of his invention of the modern welfare state, to neutralize the political threat posed by the socialistic labor unions.
[21]: 1–7 The heavy human and economic losses of the First World War, the financial crises of the 1920s, as well as the Nazi regime and other devastation by 1945, seriously undermined and weakened the opportunities for widespread philanthropy in Germany.
[27]: 30 When the war ended in late 1918, Hoover took control of the American Relief Administration (ARA), with the mission of food[clarification needed] to Central and Eastern Europe.
[35] Their leading advisor Frederick Taylor Gates launched several large philanthropic projects staffed by experts who sought to address problems systematically at the roots rather than let the recipients deal only with their immediate concerns.
[37] By the 1950s, it was investing heavily in the Green Revolution, especially the work by Norman Borlaug that enabled India, Mexico, and many poor countries to upgrade their agricultural productivity dramatically.
[43] Chinese philosopher Mozi (c. 470 – c. 391 BCE) developed the concept of "universal love" (jiān'ài, 兼愛), a reaction against perceived over-attachment to family and clan structures within Confucianism.
[46] Wikipedia's list of countries by number of billionaires shows four Asian economies in the top ten: 495 in China, 169 in India, 66 in Hong Kong, and 52 in Taiwan (as of April 2023[update]).
Intel invests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricular standards in the US and provides learning resources and materials for schools, for its innovation and revenue.
For example, Christopherson et al.[64] highlight the need to prioritize underrepresented groups, promote equitable partnerships, and advocate for diverse leadership within the scientific community.
Research by Chandra et al.[66] demonstrates the potential of strategic philanthropy to tackle health inequalities through initiatives that focus on prevention, early intervention, and building community capacity.
Similarly, a report by the Bridgespan Group[67] suggests that philanthropy can create systemic change by investing in long-term solutions that address the underlying causes of social issues, including those related to science and health disparities.
[citation needed] Public interest groups, not-for-profit organisations and the United Nations now budget extensive amounts of time and money to use celebrity endorsers in their campaigns.
Additionally, Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation[77] provides disaster relief and humanitarian aid, helping communities in need during crises and supporting global emergency response efforts.
While there are dozens more examples,[78] each of these foundations reflects the African American community's commitment to addressing critical issues and improving the lives of individuals in diverse and impactful ways.
As a result, Giridharadas argues, Smith's philanthropic giving functions to reinforce the prevailing status quo and perpetuates income inequality, instead of addressing the root cause of social issues.
Their donations, targeting think tanks and educational programs, influence public opinion on issues like tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, slashing the welfare state, and climate change denial, shaping American politics without being traditional campaign contributions.
However, their philanthropic giving functioned as a distraction and propaganda to the public, as their legacy of generosity was tainted by the subsequent exposure of Purdue Pharma's role in encouraging and exacerbating the opioid epidemic.
