Human Flourishing: Implications for Philanthropy
Human Flourishing:
Implications for Philanthropy
Wednesday, November 18 | Noon – 1:15 PM ET
What does it truly mean for people and communities to flourish? And how might a richer understanding of human well-being reshape the way philanthropy defines success, measures impact, and invests in lasting change?
In recent years, the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University has become one of the world's leading centers exploring these questions. Bringing together insights from public health, psychology, sociology, economics, philosophy, and theology, the Program seeks to better understand what enables individuals and communities to thrive. Its work has challenged narrower definitions of well-being by proposing a more holistic framework that includes not only physical and mental health, but also meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close relationships, financial stability, and life satisfaction. The Program's Global Flourishing Study, conducted across more than twenty countries with over 200,000 participants, is one of the most ambitious efforts ever undertaken to understand human flourishing across cultures.
In this session, Tyler VanderWeele will introduce the emerging field of human flourishing and explore how this growing body of research is reshaping the way scholars, practitioners, and policymakers think about well-being. Together, we'll consider what these insights might mean for Christian philanthropy as grantmakers seek to support not only improved outcomes, but the flourishing of people, families, churches, and communities.
If our desire is not simply to improve isolated outcomes but to contribute to lasting human flourishing, how should that influence the way we approach strategy, evaluation, and learning? What might it look like to assess impact through a broader understanding of human well-being? And where might this research affirm or challenge the assumptions that often shape philanthropic practice?
Whether you are exploring impact measurement, developing grantmaking strategies, or simply seeking a richer framework for thinking about the work you support, this session will offer both practical insights and fresh perspective from one of the field's foremost researchers.
About Tyler VanderWeele
Tyler VanderWeele is Director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. An internationally recognized researcher, his work explores human flourishing, causal inference, religion and health, and the measurement of well-being. Through both his scholarship and leadership, Tyler has helped shape one of the world's leading interdisciplinary efforts to better understand what enables individuals and communities to thrive.
Presenter
Tyler VanderWeele
Director, Human Flourishing Program
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