History of Philanthropy

We are currently engaged in a number of projects based around this theme.

Orphans of Empire: the Fate of London’s Foundlings

This project looks at the social effects of the most significant philanthropic charity of the eighteenth century, the London Foundling Hospital, which has an enduring legacy in the form of Coram, the largest children’s charity in the UK (still funded by bequests and investments established in the Georgian and Victorian period). The research analyses the occupational destination and life histories of nearly 6,000 children who were raised in the London Foundling Hospital and its branch institutions across England from its foundation in 1741 up to the mid-nineteenth century. Arguably the largest single experiment in providing a privately-funded welfare system before modern times, the intended and unintended consequences of large-scale charitable intervention in ‘saving’ poor children find contemporary parallels in the challenge of balancing the role of the state and private philanthropy in caring for society’s most vulnerable members.

Key researchers:

Helen Berry, Jeremy Boulton

Wealth, Philanthropy and the Cultural Fabric of Modern Britain

This project examines the legacy of philanthropic giving in contemporary Britain. At the core of the research is a database of major gifts made to institutions and communities that continue to deliver public benefit today in the realms of culture (art, music, theatre), sport, recreation (parks, gardens and public places, education (schools, universities and colleges), religion, community welfare and research. This enables patterns and trends to be discerned and the magnitude of the enduring contribution to society to be evaluated and explained, serving as inspiration for present and future generations.

Key researchers:

Charles Harvey, Mairi Maclean, Roy Suddaby

Making India Modern: Philanthropy and Development in Twentieth Century India

The history of modern philanthropy in India has focussed, by and large, on the nineteenth century. Accounts from the twentieth century are largely hagiographic and belong to the genre of corporate history. This project will update the history of modern philanthropy in India in the twentieth century; but more importantly explore the ways in which the wealthy elite navigated the shift in political regimes from colonialism to nationalism and later postcolonial nation-state; and the role of philanthropy in doing so. It will build on the archival work on the history of philanthropy of the Tata Group, which will be complemented with further archival work on other philanthropic individuals and organisations.

Key researchers:

Arun Kumar, Charles Harvey