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  

/ ˈfɪlənˌθrəʊp, 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

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

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

The project is funded through a patchwork of public and private sources, including a $10.1 million investment from the Bezos Earth Fund, the climate philanthropy organization founded by Amazon Executive Chair Jeff Bezos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

The federal government’s prospective disinvestment in the sciences has long been the status quo for the humanities, with corporate foundations and private philanthropy providing the main funding sources.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

Chickens and pigs could be big winners from AI’s $300 billion philanthropy wave.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

Gates's core explanation for his association with Epstein has been that the relationship was transactional, centring on discussions about philanthropy and potential funding for his foundation that ultimately came to nothing.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

Meanwhile, the wealthy and influential personages of Northern California, many of whom had been educated at Berkeley and supported the university generously, began to eye a new, high-profile candidate for their philanthropy.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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

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

Related Words

• charity
• generosity