Philanthropy the use of private funds for public benefit and social change is undergoing a transformation, both in practice and as an emerging field of study. The increased internationalization and competition for philanthropic funding is prompting governments to examine how their policy, tax and regulatory frameworks can create stronger incentives for giving and can retain philanthropic capital at home, while ensuring appropriate accountability and transparency.

As the recent financial crisis which caused endowments to decline precipitously demonstrated, however, there can be an underlying fragility to philanthropy. One consequence of the crisis has been to accentuate existing pressures for professionalization of philanthropic management and for greater performance measurement: what impact does philanthropy have? How can it be managed more effectively to produce sustainable, scalable public benefits?

The Routledge Companion to Philanthropy provides the first comprehensive, critical assessment of the history, recent developments and emerging challenges in the field of philanthropy. It will be international in focus with contributions by leading scholars from a broad range of countries and disciplines reflecting the multifaceted nature of the philanthropy field and ambitious in intent: to define the current state of the field and shape the future of philanthropy research for the next decade."