What is a legacy project?

A legacy project is something you create or do to carry a person's life and values forward after they die. It can be a made thing (a memory book, a film, an online memorial), a giving thing (a scholarship, a donation, a fundraiser), or a passing-on thing (recording their stories, teaching what they taught). The point is to turn grief into something that lasts and helps.

What is a good legacy project for someone who died?

A good one fits the person. For a storyteller, gather their stories into a book or an online memorial; for someone generous, start a fund or an annual act of kindness in their name; for a gardener, plant something that returns each year. Start with what they loved and what you can realistically tend over time — a small project you actually keep up beats a grand one that stalls.

How do I start a legacy project?

Start small and start now, while memories are fresh. Often the most natural first step is simply gathering — pulling their photos and stories into one place, such as an online memorial, which then becomes the foundation other projects can grow from. You do not need the whole plan; you need the first piece.

June 27, 20266 min read

Legacy Project Ideas to Honor Someone Who Died

A legacy project is something you make or do to carry a person's life forward — a way of turning loss into something that lasts and, often, helps. It does not have to be grand. The best legacy projects fit the person and are small enough that you actually keep them up. Here are ideas, grouped by the kind of thing you feel like making, and a gentle note on where to start.

Projects you can make

An online memorial — one lasting place that holds their story, photos, and everyone's memories, and keeps growing over the years.
A memory book or photo book, gathered from across their life.
A short film or audio piece — their voice, their laugh, the stories in their own words.
A recipe collection of the dishes the family asks for.
A quilt, jewelry, or keepsake made from something of theirs.
A playlist of the music that was theirs.

Projects that give back

A scholarship or annual award in their name, however small.
A fundraiser or a recurring donation to a cause they cared about.
A volunteer commitment you take on in their honor.
A bench, tree, or garden in a place that mattered to them.
An annual act of kindness on their birthday or anniversary, done as a family.

Projects that pass on their story

Record the family's oral history — interview the people who knew them before you did.
Write down the stories only you know, with the small details that make them real.
Build out the family tree, with their place in it told properly.
Teach what they taught you, and say where it came from.
Gather everyone's memories in one place so the next generation can find them.

Where to start

You do not need the whole plan, and you do not need to do it now. Start small, and start with gathering — pulling their photographs and a few stories into one place. That alone is a legacy project, and it becomes the ground everything else can grow from. Choose something you can tend over time rather than something that will exhaust you; a small thing kept up for years honors a person far more than a grand thing abandoned in month two.

A little more

For everyday remembrance, see how to keep a loved one’s memory alive. To begin the gathering step, our guides on collecting memories after a death and creating an online memorial are the place to start.

Common questions

What is a legacy project?: A legacy project is something you create or do to carry a person's life and values forward after they die. It can be a made thing (a memory book, a film, an online memorial), a giving thing (a scholarship, a donation, a fundraiser), or a passing-on thing (recording their stories, teaching what they taught). The point is to turn grief into something that lasts and helps.
What is a good legacy project for someone who died?: A good one fits the person. For a storyteller, gather their stories into a book or an online memorial; for someone generous, start a fund or an annual act of kindness in their name; for a gardener, plant something that returns each year. Start with what they loved and what you can realistically tend over time — a small project you actually keep up beats a grand one that stalls.
How do I start a legacy project?: Start small and start now, while memories are fresh. Often the most natural first step is simply gathering — pulling their photos and stories into one place, such as an online memorial, which then becomes the foundation other projects can grow from. You do not need the whole plan; you need the first piece.