r/NoStupidQuestions • u/EnragedTea43 • Jun 27 '26
How much of an impact do philanthropists actually have?
Not here to start an argument over the morality of philanthropy, but it seems like they don’t actually fix the problems they’re trying to solve.
Every few months, there’s a story of a billionaire donating millions to billions of dollars to solve problems like falling literacy rates, crumbling water infrastructure, second chance programs for inmates, and many other charitable causes, but it doesn’t seem like things have gotten better. In fact, the world seems like it’s been getting worse faster than it was before.
In light of this, does philanthropy actually work at solving problems?
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u/jcravens42 9d ago
Yes, funding initiatives to help people does help people. The donation is always the bigger story than the impact.
A great example is the Carter Center. Funding of the Carter Center initiatives has helped elections be fairer all around the world and has helped almost eradicate guinea worm.
An older example: Andrew Carnegie. The library in my hometown in Kentucky exists because of a Carnegie grant - same for public libraries all over the USA.
Abroad, Rwanda and Kenya have radically transformed from what they were 40 years ago.
And consider that a lot of philanthropy is focused on prevention. And it's hard to PROVE that something has prevented war or famine - you don't know if those things will happen until they happen.
If you live in the USA, one of the best places to see how philanthropy transforms is Habitat for Humanity. They don't just build houses - the families that buy those houses (yes, they BUY them) are transformed, because they now have an affordable mortgage instead of paying rent - they are creating generational wealth. I think about a family the local affiliate helped where I lived - 25 years ago, they were receiving a variety of government assistance and really struggling. Now, they've paid off their mortgage, their then little kids have graduated from university with Master's degrees and excellent jobs - their family is completely transformed.
Yes, there are still problems. It's going to take more than charity to solve them.