You're describing what a well designed tax system should be doing. Philanthropy is just the rich convincing us that things are fine, and we shouldn't worry that billionaires exist.

A tax system takes the amount required to fund society to the equality level desired.

In anything less than a fully-equalizing society, philanthropy still has a place.

(Said as someone who thinks higher wealth brackets, including my own, should be taxed more heavily)

I guess the Nordic societies have to really equal then, because I can't remember ever even hearing of anyone donating anything to a single school. Like.. there's nothing in the system for a school to even be prepared to even own a donation. A school over there doesn't manage a financial fund, it runs on an annual municipal budget. It's all tax money.

The parent commenter put it well, philanthropy is just the rich convincing [America] that things are fine.