Mental Health PlaybookThe Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University
- Geographic Focus: National
- Mission: The Human Flourishing Program at Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science Studies promotes human flourishing and develops systematic approaches to the synthesis of knowledge across disciplines.
- People Served: Academics, institutional leaders and members of the public
- Operating Budget: $3 million
- Focus Areas and Core Competencies:
- To understand the nature, distribution and determinants of a flourishing life.
- To achieve measurable impact by working with key institutions, including government, education, corporations and religious communities to develop frameworks, programs and polices to promote human flourishing among their constituents and in society at large.
Impact Statement
The Human Flourishing Program’s research on the nature, distribution and determinants of flourishing are shaping public policy discussions at the White House, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Baccalaureate Program and the American Psychiatric Association, among other influential organizations.
A Conversation with Tyler VanderWeele, Director of The Human Flourishing Program
Q: What is the mission of your organization? What specific areas related to mental health challenges is your nonprofit working to solve?
The Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University is dedicated to studying and promoting human flourishing while creating systematic approaches to integrate knowledge across disciplines. Our mission is to deepen understanding of what it means to truly flourish and to make flourishing the central goal of institutions and communities worldwide. We define flourishing as a “state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good,” including the environments in which they live. By advancing this holistic framework, we aim to establish it as the default lens for scholars, policymakers and leaders seeking to improve well-being.
Our work demonstrates the protective power of gratitude, hope, social connection, religious service and marriage against depression, anxiety and even the depths of despair. We have pioneered research on moral trauma and advanced mental health frameworks adopted by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Through the world’s largest forgiveness trial, conducted in high-conflict regions, we proved that self-guided forgiveness interventions can reduce depression, increase resilience and expand human flourishing.
With initiatives like the Global Forgiveness Movement, we are translating this research into actionable strategies by empowering individuals, institutions and policymakers to help people everywhere lead lives of meaning, connection and growth.
Q: How do you describe the big goals your organization is working to achieve? How do you measure impact?
Our impact is measured not only through rigorous scholarship like publications, citations and media coverage but also through the influence of our research on global institutions. From the White House to the OECD to the International Baccalaureate Program, our work is shaping how leaders think about health, purpose and human development. Our Global Flourishing Study, a landmark five-year project spanning 22 countries and 208,000 participants, is already reshaping understanding of what drives human well-being. Ultimately, our goal is to orient decision-making toward flourishing as the truest outcome of a thriving society.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges the organization has experienced working to accomplish its mission? How did your organization overcome those challenges?
One key challenge is that our work is entirely funded through private donations and grants. While we are grateful beyond words for our generous donors, our heavy reliance on grants does mean that we are often constrained to think tactically rather than strategically about our research agenda, since dependence on grant funding notoriously entails that you can only have new ideas two years in advance and in three-year increments. This dependence also leaves our work vulnerable to funders’ changes in priority, which in one case resulted in a major project losing funding midstream.
In the past year, we have begun to diversify our funding through the creation of a member-supported research consortium called the “Flourishing Data Collaborative.” Our initial focus has been on recruiting colleges and universities to partner with us in assessing and promoting “academic flourishing” on their campuses, and we are now also beginning to recruit K-12 schools for a similar project to promote mental health and well-being more broadly. We are also actively considering extending this model to partnerships with state and local governments or with for-profit corporations to assess flourishing among their constituents or members.
Q: What are your organization’s biggest needs? How can philanthropists help your organization achieve its goals?
Our greatest needs center on expanding collaboration and securing sustainable funding to advance flourishing as a global priority. Near-term, we are focused on growing the membership of our Data Collaborative, which equips organizations including schools, universities and mission-aligned corporations with tools to assess and promote flourishing among their communities. Connections to these networks are invaluable in helping us broaden our reach and impact.
Long-term we want to secure an endowment or large current-use fund, which will be essential to sustaining our most important research and dissemination efforts. While government and academic funding often support specific projects, philanthropy provides us the flexibility to pursue high-priority initiatives, to rapidly respond to emerging needs and to ensure continuity in our operations
Q: Beyond the organization, where should philanthropists who care about advancing knowledge related to improving mental health invest their charitable dollars?
Young people are most acutely affected by rising rates of anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges. Research demonstrates that excessive and unhealthy engagement with social media and smartphones is a primary driver of this crisis, compounding longer-term declines in childhood independence and face-to-face connection.
There are two organizations of note that are leading efforts to address this urgent challenge. Free the Anxious Generation, led by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, is focused on reversing the “phone-based childhood” and reducing harmful digital engagement. Let Grow, founded by Lenore Skenazy, is dedicated to restoring free, independent and outdoor play for children and adolescents. Together, these initiatives represent complementary, evidence-based approaches that seek to reduce anxiety, build resilience and help children grow into capable and confident adults.
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