Philanthropy in the United States
Philanthropy in the United States is the practice of voluntary, charitable giving by individuals, corporations and foundations to benefit important social needs.
Some of the most prominent philanthropists in American history include George Peabody, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Herbert Hoover, and Bill Gates.
)[4] What would become an American tradition of giving is seen as early as 1630 when Puritan John Winthrop shared a sermon called "A Model on Christian Charity" while onboard the ship Arbella.
Voluntary charitable organizations established by ethnic and religious groups, for their own people, originated in the colonial era and grew much stronger in the 19th century.
As assimilation took place most of the European groups merged into a general "American" population; the ethnic charitable societies sharply declined by 1900.
(American Philanthropy, Robert H. Bremner, Chicago University Press, 1988) He was much influenced by Daniel Defoe's An essay upon projects (1697) and Mather's Bonifacius.
In 1835, French historian Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about the "peculiar practice" of people in the new American colonies supporting "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of life" in his book "Democracy in America."
Americans, he said, did not rely on others – government, an aristocracy, or the church – to solve their public problems; rather, they did it themselves, through voluntary associations, which is to say, philanthropy, which was characteristically democratic.
[11] Important American philanthropists of the first half of the 19th century ere Gerrit Smith and the industrialist Arthur Tappan and to a lesser extent his brother Lewis.
Historian Roderick Nash argues that Peabody was a disciple of Benjamin Franklin, who joined hard work with frugality, punctuality, and a strong public spirit.
Philanthropy in Europe typically came from old aristocrat families with vast inherited wealth who built palaces and museums that were eventually opened to the public.
Peabody was especially imaginative – and relied on his own memories of poverty and self learning to figure new ways to educate and culturally enrich the next generation of poor youth, and thereby promote more equality in American society.
He rejected doling out bundles of cash to the poor as a waste of money in comparison to building permanent institutions that produced a steady stream of benefits.
Even more important was the institutional framework that Peabody devised, of a permanent professional foundation, run by experts in philanthropy, who were guided by and indeed invented the best practices of the day.
They set up extensive charitable institutions, generously giving money and volunteer time of charity a high prestige activity.
After selling his giant steel company in the 1890s he devoted himself to establishing philanthropic organizations, and making direct contributions to many educational cultural and research institutions.
[18] The establishment of public libraries in the United States, Britain, and in dominions and colonies of the British Empire started a legacy that still operates on a daily basis for millions of people.
On one hand, the library profession called for designs that supported efficiency in administration and operation; on the other, wealthy philanthropists favored buildings that reinforced the paternalistic metaphor and enhanced civic pride.
[19][20] There was some opposition, for example in Canada where anti-American and labour spokesman opposed his libraries, in fear of the influence of a powerful American, and in protest against his breaking a strike in 1892.
[27] Prominent American philanthropists of the early 20th century were John D. Rockefeller and his son, Julius Rosenwald (1862–1932)[28][29] and Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage (1828–1918).
Its head Frederick Gates envisioned "The Country School of To-Morrow," wherein "young and old will be taught in practicable ways how to make rural life beautiful, intelligent, fruitful, recreative, healthful, and joyous.
"[37] Biographer William Leuchtenburg adds, "He had raised and spent millions of dollars, with trifling overhead and not a penny lost to fraud.
When the war ended in late 1918, Wilson gave Hoover control of the American Relief Administration (ARA), with the mission of finding food and coal for Central and Eastern Europe.
[46] Financier Ronald Perelman signed the Gates-Buffett Pledge[47] in August 2010, committing up to half his assets to be designated for the benefit of charitable causes (after his family and children have been provided for), and gave $70 million to charity in 2008 alone.
[48] Recent philanthropists have decided to forego the Foundation route in favor of utilizing a limited liability company (LLC) to pursue their philanthropic goals and an example of philanthrocapitalism.
Partial List of Philanthropic LLCs Rosalind P. Walter became a noted philanthropist during the latter part of the 20th century in collaboration with, and independently of, her husband, Henry Glendon Walter, Jr. Best known for her support of public television programming in the United States, she has also served as a trustee for the American Museum of Natural History, Long Island University and the Paley Center for Media.
[61] American Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant communities all, nearly equally, prioritize contributing to their congregational houses of worship above other causes.
[65] (On the other hand a University of California Berkeley study analyzing experimental "data from a 2004 national survey of more than 1,300 Americans"[66] found "that those who were less religious were motivated more to help others, such as giving food or money to the homeless."
[62] This statistic remains true despite the fact that a notable amount of American Muslims are immigrants to the United States, demonstrating an "opposite trend" to what may be expected.
[70] At least one researcher (Jane Mayer) has noted the phenomenon of wealthy donors contributing to ostensibly charitable institutions (think tanks, educational programs) that work to advance "political policies" in the financial interests of their contributors.
