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

His model bypasses traditional philanthropy routing through organizations and causes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 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

"The future of development will depend on bringing public finance, private investment, philanthropy, and technology together around what each country needs. The partnership -- and mix -- should evolve as countries do."

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 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

To be efficient, in the Gilbreth family, was a virtue on a par with veracity, honesty, generosity, philanthropy, and tooth-brushing.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Heising-Simons and the Ballmer Group are among the philanthropies that in part fund Times education coverage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 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

So they founded philanthropies to give part of it away.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

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Related Words

• charity
• generosity

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