All of us are culpable to some degree, depending on where we shop, what products we buy, and where we bank, so I'm not sure we can simply blame the rich and absolve everyone else. Foundations generally invest their assets and distribute the interest in the form of grants. Even better, stick with grassroots fundraising and skip the grant proposals altogether. Okay, that's the frustrating part. Now let's talk about why grants are attractive, useful, and worth the trouble.
Grant proposals are guilt-free.
Most charitable foundations exist to give away money. That's their goal. They publish guidelines on how to apply, so there's no guesswork. Lots of options. Forty of them provided funding at one time or another.