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Philanthropy

The term philanthropy is commonly used as the general term for foundations and donations. This is not entirely incorrect, but it has a considerably narrow meaning. First of all, philanthropy is very generally referred to as a positive attitude towards other people, like the term φιλανθρωπία (philanthrōpía) derived from the Greek, which derives from the words philos (friend) and anthropos (person). It appeared in Greek tragedies in approximately 500 BC and in the fourth century in Plato’s dialogue Eutyphron, in which the author Sokrates allows himself to be described as a philanthropist, because he lets his listeners share his wisdom lavishly and free of charge. Philon von Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher from the first century AD, conceptualised philanthropy as caring for all people, but also as for every individual and for all living things. Philanthropy finds a striking expression in the Christian commandments to love one‘s neighbour as oneself. Ecclesiastical interpretations that want to distinguish this commandment from a secular idea of philanthropy because of its connection with the commandment of the love of God seem absurd in this respect. The term also appears in Paul’s epistles in the New Testament several times. Other religious communities, especially Judaism and Islam, have similar conceptions of positive interpersonal interaction. In the 6th century AD, the Roman Emperor Justinian emphasised the meaning of philanthropy in his legislation, which held tremendous importance for Christian and Muslim foundations, among others. In his Novellen, part of the Corpus iuris civilis, he emphasised that he was a philanthropic master and his laws were philanthropic in a broad sense. Philanthropy and justice are, in his view, the highest human goods. >> More information (in German)

Our projects on philanthropy

Current projects

  • Diaspora Philanthropy in Germany
    The aim of the project ‘Diaspora Philanthropy in Germany’ is, in addition to compiling an up-to-date inventory, to formulate a concrete action plan that enables or facilitates philanthropic action by people with a history of migration in Germany. >> More information

Ongoing Projects

Completed Projects

Philanthropy.Insight (completed in 2022)

As public distrust is sweeping the globe, trust has become a central resource for civil society, and especially philanthropy. Against this backdrop, the Philanthropy.Insight project proposes five principals along which philanthropies are able to align their practice towards a more trust-driven approach. In particular, the project concentrates on developing the modalities of a philanthropic concept of trust, and studies how self-assessments beyond fixed indicators might contribute to strengthen trust and demonstrate responsibility of future philanthropic practice. The Philanthropy.Insight project is organised by the Tocqueville Forum of the Maecenata Foundation and receives support from the Carnegie UK Trust and the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. >> More information

News on philanthropy

Kontakt

Marie-Christine Schwager-Duhse und Team
tg@maecenata.eu
+49-30-28-38-79-09

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Monthly Information

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Current articles on the topic:

  • Where does German Humanitarian Assistance stand? Wo steht die deutsche humanitäre Hilfe?

    Opusculum 129 | 01.05.2019 | Where does German Humanitarian Assistance stand? Ralf Südhoff and Sonja Hövelmann on the stand of german humanitarian help

  • The Shrinking Space of Civil Society: a Report on Trends, Responses, and the Role of Donors

    Opusculum 128 | 01.04.2010 | Civil society is one of the main arenas of the democratization. However, in recent years the political space of civil society has become narrower and does not contribute to effective operation of civil society organisations (CSOs). Due to repression by governments, civil society organisations are encountering a series of challenges, which may extend to closing down the organisations. 

  • Based on need alone? Impartiality in humanitarian action

    Opusculum 121 | 05.10.2018 | This collection of texts that examines how the core humanitarian principle of impartiality is dealt with in theory and in practice, and each author develops the theme in a different way. The essays seek to build a bridge between research and practice on the one hand, and between the international discussion and the debate in Germany on the other.

  • The Role of Civil Society in the Tunisian Transformation Process

    Opusculum 122 | 01.11.2018 | Political transformation scholars identified a new object of research through the course of the so-called “Arab Spring” that began in 2010 -the democratization of Arab countries. In Tunisia it resulted in a dmeocratic system. Simon Rothers investigates the importance and role of civil society during the transformation process in Tunisia