Over the past several decades, the history of philanthropy has grown from a niche subject into a major field of academic study, featuring dedicated university programs and courses and producing hundreds of books, articles, and conference presentations every year. Over this same period, the Rockefeller Archive Center, alongside several other research centers and archival repositories, has made foundation records accessible to a new generation of scholars interested in researching the history of charitable giving. Large philanthropic foundations have produced their own histories or commissioned independent works of scholarship in an attempt to critically assess and publicly showcase their impact as grantmakers over time. With the growth of scholarly research and improved archival accessibility, philanthropic news outlets on both sides of the Atlantic have largely removed the opacity surrounding the giving practices of wealthy donors and their philanthropic vehicles. Similarly, local, regional, and national philanthropic networks and membership organizations have expanded the field by organizing professional gatherings and sharing valuable learning resources. Academic programs specializing in philanthropy have emerged and gradually expanded in order to meet the scholarly expectations of the growing field and to train the next generation of philanthropists. Philanthropy research centers on both sides of the Atlantic (e.g., Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, IUPUI Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Kent University Centre on Philanthropy, The Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship at LSE, etc.), continue to serve as convening spaces for public, private, and social sector actors.

As the field of philanthropic history continues to expand, it is important for the general field of history to assess this evolution, highlighting research trends and opportunities for graduate students and established scholars to incorporate these resources and perspectives into their teaching and published work. This roundtable aims to bring together a diverse group of leaders and experts, each representing different facets and institutions of philanthropy research. These include schools and centers of philanthropy, scholars working in the field of philanthropic history, philanthropic news journalists, as well as archivists with years of experience preserving the records of major legacy foundations. This roundtable delves into the past and present of the history of philanthropy, while also highlighting trends that will shape the field and the sector in the years ahead.