Philanthropy has actually long been a main part of a reasonable and flourishing culture, however the manner in which it works has changed for many years.
One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, instantly consider a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for distributing their fortunes to causes that they care about. This is something that has held true for lots of thousands of years, with the first recorded example of institutionalised philanthropy, in addition to the source of the philanthropy meaning and word, occurring over 2 thousand years back in ancient Greece. During this duration, the word indicated something more similar to 'loving of one's fellow human', or humanism, than the limitations of wealth one may apply to the term now, but nonetheless wealthy individuals played a crucial charity role in the culture. Rich people were expected to give back to the society, helping to put up the money for repairs to public works like city walls or temples in addition to financing festivals and other public events. Being stingy was not looked upon 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 modern 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 town and on larger level undertakings. That changed with the coming of commercial enterprise when rich individuals ended up being more powerful, and then shifted once again towards the end of the nineteenth century when foundations started to emerge that were better set up and could commit more attention to getting things done. This is much the same way that charity is structured nowadays, whether those foundations are set up by grassroots groups, rich individuals, or businesses like SJP.
The manner in which charity has been financed has changed a lot 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 need to be resolved, from increasing inequality to the environment crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play an important part in that procedure. Wealthy people with savings account that would make a medieval kings blush have their part to play, but so do the firms that are the main hubs of financial generation in the 21st century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is establishing a foundation of their own or establishing ESG dedications, businesses like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are starting to do so.