The generosity experiment

A new social experiment called Drop Dead Generous is giving away $500,000 to fund acts of kindness around the world. The project aims to see what happens when people are trusted to be generous.

The Start of a Generous Idea

The experiment was founded by Tom Cledwyn. In 2012, at age 25, Cledwyn donated a kidney to a stranger. He was inspired after reading about Kay Mason, the first person in the UK to do the same. Cledwyn described the act as a "profound opportunity."

"The feeling I had when I woke up from that operation is something I want other people to experience," he said. He believes that giving, whether a kidney or a smile, is "the closest thing I’ve experienced to something that really matters."

After his operation, Cledwyn started a blog called The Free Help Guy. He offered anonymous help to people online, doing things like moving furniture or fixing household items. The demand for help grew quickly until he ran out of money.

Cledwyn then worked at Meta as a senior executive for seven years. However, he felt drawn back to the idea of scaling generosity. He left Meta and, with co-founder John Sweeney, launched Drop Dead Generous.

How the Experiment Works

Drop Dead Generous has a fund of $500,000. They give 1,000 people $500 each to help others in creative ways. So far, 266 grants have been awarded in 21 countries.

Applicants answer two questions: who needs help, and what would they do with $500 to "blow their socks off"? Cledwyn explained that the money must support an original idea, not just be given away.

The impact of $500 varies greatly depending on the project and location. For example, someone in London used the money to give out 80 flowers. In Uganda, another recipient built a house.

Stories of Impact

The project has funded many diverse acts of kindness:

• Brazil: One grant is helping start a book club in a prison. Inmates can reduce their sentences by reading and writing about literature. Elsewhere, two young chess players from a favela received coaching and entered national competitions, going on to win and gain wider support.
• Uganda: A communal dance floor was built, giving young people a space for creativity.
• UK: One project is helping an undiscovered busker record a professional demo. Another brought a Shetland pony into a care home, encouraging residents to leave their rooms.

In Baltimore, US, Kendall Concini and her family used a grant to thank local librarians. Her four-year-old suggested bringing doughnuts. This grew into a full breakfast arrangement, love letters from the community, and gifts for librarians to pass on to patrons.

Concini's initial idea has continued. She now funds packages for 12 libraries using profits from her children's book and public donations. She described seeing librarians' excitement and hearing "I needed a pick me up this morning" as an "amazing feeling."

The Ripple Effect of Giving

Cledwyn sees this ripple effect as the true measure of success. He acknowledges that giving often comes with mixed motivations, like the feeling of pride. He believes this intrinsic motivation is important because it encourages people to give again.

"If I had donated my kidney expecting to feel something in return, that would have felt wrong," he said. "But waking up and feeling pride and meaning is something I’m happy to accept."

Cledwyn feels that promoting generosity is especially important today. "At a time when the opposite of generosity often feels normalised, even in how leaders communicate, it feels more important than ever to frame generosity as a superpower, not just a nice thing," he noted.

The project is now exploring new ways to expand. They are experimenting with letting earlier recipients decide who gets the next grants in their own communities. This could make generosity a more distributed and less controlled act.

Cledwyn encourages everyone to visit the website and submit an idea. He advises people to "think imaginatively."