“Philanthropy, it is popularly supposed, transfers money from the rich to the poor. This is not the case.”
In the US, which statistics show to be the most philanthropic of nations, barely a fifth of the money donated by big givers goes to the poor. A lot goes to the arts, sports teams and other cultural pursuits, and half goes to education and healthcare. At first glance that seems to fit the popular profile of “giving to good causes”.
The common assumption that philanthropy automatically results in a redistribution of money is wrong. A lot of elite philanthropy is about elite causes. Rather than making the world a better place, it largely reinforces the world as it is. Philanthropy very often favours the rich – and no one holds philanthropists to account for it.
Paul Vallely writes a provocative article with a different take on how philanthropy can be perceived.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/sep/08/how-philanthropy-benefits-the-super-rich
