Philanthropy, big donors, and communication in Europe: Mapping the cases of Germany and Italy

Philanthropy is not a new phenomenon. Traditionally associated with fields such as education, healthcare and humanitarian aid, in recent years there has also been a growing interest in initiatives in the field of communication, with a focus on areas such as journalism, access to technology, and platforms and applications. The super-rich not only control large amounts of the world’s wealth but also make donations to support a wide range of projects in different countries. This article studies the big foundations that invest ‘socially’ in this sector in two European countries with different philanthropic traditions: Germany and Italy. Its aim is to demonstrate that American donors such as Bill Gates, Pierre Omidyar, and the Rockefeller family are among the biggest philanthropists in the field of communications in both countries, although other prominent names linked to the world’s biggest fortunes also appear among the major donors. The article also analyses the programmes and priority areas of action of these billionaires to determine whether they have any overlapping interests within the field of communications in the two countries studied. In addition, it identifies the amounts donated and the types of organisations that receive them. The analysis draws on data provided by the Media Grants Data Map created by the organisation Media Impact Funders, for the period from 2009 to 2024.