Philanthropy has long been a main part of a reasonable and thriving culture, but the way that it works has changed for many years.
One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, immediately think about a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for giving away their fortunes to causes that they care about. This is something that has actually held true for many thousands of years, with the first recorded example of institutionalised philanthropy, along with the inception of the philanthropy meaning and word, happening over two thousand years ago in ancient Greece. Throughout this duration, the word implied something more akin to 'caring of one's fellow human', or humanism, than the limitations of wealth one might apply to the term today, however nonetheless wealthy individuals played a crucial charity role in the culture. Rich people were expected to give back to the community, helping to put up the money for repair work to public works like city walls or temples in addition to financing celebrations and other public events. Being stingy was not looked upon well, and if a rich individual was not seen to be a philanthropist, they could be ostracised from the community completely.
Various entities have been responsible 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 correct, 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 people ended up being more powerful, and then shifted once again towards the end of the nineteenth century when foundations began to emerge that were better organised and could commit more attention to getting things done. This is much the same way that charity is structured today, whether those foundations are built by grassroots groups, rich individuals, or firms like SJP.
The manner in which charity has been financed has changed 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 changed as various requirements have emerged. Nowadays, there are a great many problems that have to be attended to, from increasing inequality to the climate crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play an essential part in that procedure. Wealthy people with checking account that would make a medieval kings blush have their part to play, however so do the companies that are the main hubs of monetary generation in the 21st century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is setting up a foundation of their own or developing ESG commitments, businesses like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are starting to do so.