Ever since the ancient Greeks philanthropy has actually been central to a healthy and productive culture, and much the same holds true nowadays.
One might, when one hears the word philanthropy, quickly think of a handful of famous philanthropists who are well known for distributing their fortunes to causes that they care about. This is something that has been the case for many thousands of years, with the first chronicled example of institutionalised philanthropy, along with the origin of the philanthropy meaning and word, happening over two thousand years back in ancient Greece. Throughout this duration, the word suggested something more akin to 'loving of one's fellow person', or humanism, than the limitations of wealth one may apply to the term nowadays, however nevertheless wealthy individuals played an important charity role in the culture. Wealthy people were expected to give back to the community, assisting to set up the money for repair work to public works like city walls or temples along with funding celebrations and other public events. Being pinchpenny was not regarded well, and if a rich person was not seen to be a philanthropist, they could be ostracised from the community altogether.
Many different entities have been responsible for charity work throughout the ages. Although wealthy individuals and celebrity philanthropists may be seen as the central charitable force in the contemporary world, that is not necessarily completely correct, nor has it been for much of history. In the middle ages, it was religious institutions like the church that would have been the main charitable hubs, both within the community and on larger level ventures. That changed with the coming of industry when wealthy individuals became more powerful, and then moved once again towards the end of the 19th century when foundations started to emerge that were much better set up and could dedicate more attention to getting things done. This is much the same way that charity is structured these days, whether those foundations are set up by grassroots groups, wealthy individuals, or companies like SJP.
The way that charity has been financed has actually altered a good deal throughout the course of human history, moving in between different entities which hold the most power and wealth, just as the focus of charity work has changed as different needs have emerged. Today, there are a great many issues that need to be resolved, from growing inequality to the environment crisis, and charity will undoubtedly play a crucial part in that process. Wealthy individuals with bank accounts that would make a medieval kings blush have their part to play, however so do the firms that are the main centers of financial generation in the twenty-first century through things like corporate philanthropy. Whether that is setting up a foundation of their own or developing ESG dedications, businesses like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are starting to do so.