philanthropy

American  

[fi-lan-thruh-pee] / fɪˈlæn θrə pi /

noun

• philanthropies
  plural

1. altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes.

2. the activity of donating to such persons or purposes in this way.

   to devote one's later years to philanthropy.

3. a particular act, form, or instance of this activity.

   The art museum was their favorite philanthropy.

4. an organization devoted to helping needy persons or to other socially useful purposes.

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philanthropy British  

/ fɪˈlænθrəpɪ /

noun

1. the practice of performing charitable or benevolent actions

2. love of mankind in general

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• philanthropist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• philanthropies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of philanthropy

First recorded in 1600–10; earlier philanthropia, from Late Latin, from Greek philanthrōpía “benevolence, humane feeling”; see phil-, anthropo-, -y ³

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Explanation

If you donate money to a charity or volunteer to help people in need, you can call your good deeds philanthropy. Philanthropy is made up of two parts — Greek phil, "loving" and anthrop, "mankind." It refers to the desire to help people or the actual deeds a person does to benefit mankind. Philanthropy most often refers to the large amounts of money the wealthy donate to causes such as world hunger or organizations like museums or animal shelters. A private organization that promotes the welfare of people can also be called a philanthropy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

philanthropy philanthropies

In the aftermath, it was widely noted how French landmarks had already come to depend on foreign and domestic philanthropy for maintenance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

In the process, Tyree notes, the filmmakers reveal that unlike in the past, when captains of industry launched art museums and libraries, this generation isn't as interested in philanthropy.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

Tata Trusts, which represents seven philanthropic trusts that own the majority stake in the group, is widely regarded as its moral compass, guiding the businesses on social impact and philanthropy.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

The T1D Fund, a venture philanthropy, had backed dozens of startups and drawn venture capitalists to Type 1 diabetes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Now, Howard Avenue is just a few blocks from where I live, so I could pretend I belonged to the Howard Avenue Civic League or some other fictitious philanthropy.

From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel

Employers such as Ford and philanthropies are ramping up programs to persuade more Americans to don tool belts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

The Oracle of Omaha reiterated his support for his successor Greg Abel, and said he would step up the pace of gifts to his three children’s philanthropies.

From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2025

Their targets include billionaire George Soros, whose Open Society Foundations are among the country’s largest philanthropies, and the Ford Foundation, another of the nation’s top grantmakers.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025

Then he heard of a new, experimental program run by philanthropies and private businesses that would loan him what he needed to finish college — at zero interest and with no fees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2025

The research philanthropies that had not yet made grants, such as the Rockefeller Foundation, signaled that they would look very favorably upon future applications.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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Related Words

• charity
• generosity

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