David Clarke, a 34-year-old researcher from Liverpool, has taken an unconventional approach to philanthropy by donating his £100,000 inheritance to local charities, with the decision-making power handed over to a group of 12 residents from the L8 postcode area, as reported by The Guardian.
Clarke’s aim was to address social inequality, believing his financial situation was secure enough without the inheritance. To select the decision-makers, Clarke reached out randomly to 600 households within the L8 area, which includes Toxteth and Dingle, resulting in 38 responses.
From these, 12 individuals were chosen to deliberate on the allocation of the funds. Despite initial skepticism, the participants engaged in a series of discussions, eventually agreeing unanimously to support efforts to combat poverty in one of the UK’s most deprived regions.
The group dedicated time to research and selected four local charities known for their impact and strong presence in the community. The beneficiaries, each receiving £25,000, included the Florrie community centre, the Dingle, Granby, and Toxteth Collaborative schools network, Team Oasis children’s charity, and the Granby and Toxteth Development Trust. These organizations are known for their work with individuals across various age groups, addressing vulnerability and economic deprivation.
Laurence Fenlon from the Florrie praised Clarke’s generosity, noting the significant difference the donation will make in supporting the centre’s community events and hunger relief efforts, especially for children during school holidays and for the elderly during Christmas.
Clarke has also launched a website, Wealth Shared, to document the project’s outcome and inspire others to distribute their wealth in meaningful ways. Reflecting on the experience, he highlighted the profound emotional satisfaction derived from the process, emphasising the potential for such initiatives to democratise wealth distribution in partnership with existing social structures. Clarke expressed contentment with the outcome, stating that the project surpassed his expectations and that, for now, he has no plans for further donations. He told The Guardian:
“It has been an extremely rewarding process. I can think of very few things I might have done with the money that would have had such a lasting emotional impact for me or given me the same level of satisfaction.
I’m not planning to give any more money away for the foreseeable future, but I’m happy with how the money has gone away, it went better than I could have ever imagined.”
