Philanthropy - the use of private resources for public purposes - is undergoing a transformation, both in practice and as an emerging field of study. Expectations of what philanthropy can achieve have risen significantly in recent years, reflecting a substantial, but uneven, increase in global wealth and the rolling back of state services in anticipation that philanthropy will fill the void. In addition to this, experiments with entrepreneurial and venture philanthropy are producing novel intersections of the public, non-profit and private spheres, accompanied by new kinds of partnerships and hybrid organisational forms. The Routledge Companion to Philanthropy examines these changes and other challenges that philanthropists and philanthropic organisations face. With contributions from an international team of leading contemporary thinkers on philanthropy, this Companion provides an introduction to, and critical exploration of, philanthropy; discussing current theories, research and the diverse professional practices within the field from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The Routledge Companion to Philanthropy is a rich and valuable resource for students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers working in or interested in philanthropy.

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."