Word of the Day
September 8, 2022
Philanthropy
The desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially through charitable donations of money to good causes; the practice of giving money and time to help make life better for others.
From Greek 'philanthropia,' combining 'philos' (loving) and 'anthropos' (human being), originally meaning 'love of humanity.'
Usage Examples
- The Pew Charitable Trust was founded as a conservative philanthropy to help Philadelphia but transformed into a nationwide funder of progressive causes.
- Modern philanthropy through foundations like the Tides Foundation enables wealthy donors to shape policy while avoiding public accountability.
- True philanthropy empowers individuals, while weaponized philanthropy seeks to control them through financial strings attached to every grant.
From the Show
The concept of philanthropy dominated the September 8th broadcast as researcher Lisa Bennett exposed how the Tides Foundation and Democracy Alliance weaponize charitable giving to fund progressive causes while shielding wealthy donors from scrutiny.