Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness
The mission of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness is to build a rigorous and interdisciplinary science of positive health, happiness, and well-being with a focus on health equity, and to translate the science to influence practice and policy.
Kresge Building 6th Floor
677 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Innovations in Health, Happiness, and Well-being Seed Grants
Overview
There is growing recognition that well-being depends not only on individual circumstances, choices, and resources, but also on the strength of our relationships, communities, institutions, and broader systems. In this context, well-being is increasingly understood not solely as an individual pursuit, but as a collective endeavor.
The Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is at the forefront of advancing this paradigm shift. Through transdisciplinary research examining the interconnected dimensions of physical, psychological, and social well-being, the Center seeks to deepen understanding of the factors that enable individuals and communities to thrive. Central to this work is social well-being, a dimension of well-being that has received less sustained scientific attention. Our working definition of social well-being is the well-being of people in a community, determined by how social conditions, relationships, and institutions enable people to feel inclusively connected, respected, supported, and secure so they can fully and equally participate in society thus experience a sense of meaning, purpose, and positive emotions.
This funding opportunity will support pioneering, early-stage research focused on social well-being. We encourage boundary-spanning projects that integrate insights and approaches across disciplines relevant to well-being science, including health communication, psychology, sociology, exercise physiology, biology, epidemiology, medicine, and population sciences. We particularly welcome innovative, high-potential projects that open new areas of inquiry; generate critical preliminary data to support larger grant proposals to external funding agencies; and those with clear implications for translation of science into practice and policy.
The recipient will receive $40,000 in funding over a period of up to one year. Funding can be used to cover research-related expenses, such as research staff salary support, obtaining access to existing data, data collection activities, conference presentations, and travel (with prior approval). Information on previous year’s awardees can be found at the bottom of this page.
Applications are currently open.
Eligibility
This is a competitive grant program. It is open to all Harvard University faculty. Faculty paid through Harvard-affiliates who have the administrative resources to manage the award are also eligible. However, please be aware, if co-investigators are from different institutions (even if Harvard-affiliated), only one agreement per award can be issued. The award must be managed through the principal investigator’s institution. Students are not eligible to apply for these funds. If you are unsure about your eligibility, please contact Center Program Coordinator Laura Sabino at lsabino@hsph.harvard.edu.
Selection Process and Criteria
Center leadership will screen all submitted proposals to determine whether the proposals align with the Center’s mission and interest in social well-being. Proposals that pass this initial screening will each undergo formal review by two grant reviewers with relevant expertise.
Projects will be prioritized for funding when they:
- Align with the center’s mission, vision, and specific interest in social well-being
- Have significant implications for the broader field
- Integrate the theories, questions, and methods of two or more disciplines
- Involve high payoff in terms of opening new areas of inquiry or provide crucial preliminary data for preparing larger external grant proposals
- Explicitly connect faculty and scholars across departments and schools
- Present a well-justified and rigorous methodological approach with a realistic timeline and budget
Application Instructions
Please submit a proposal of no more than 5 pages that covers the following:
- Title of the Project
- Name of Investigator(s)
- Degrees
- Position Title
- Mailing Address
- Department/School
- Telephone/Email
- Statement on Human Subjects/IRB
All research involving human subjects must have approval from the applicable institutional IRB. All investigators must be trained and certified in the responsible conduct of research involving human subjects. If your research involves secondary data, you more than likely will need to apply for an exemption. If you are ultimately awarded funding, we will need either the IRB protocol number or exemption number before an account can be set up. IRB must be obtained within six months of award.
- Detailed Project Proposal, addressing the following questions:
- What are the aims of the project?
- Why is the work important?
- What has already been done in this area?
- How are you going to do the work?
- What is your timeline for completing the work? (Please note that the project must be completed within 12 months of the date of award).
- How will your research will help advance the mission and vision of the Center and contribute in a meaningful way to the well-being evidence base?
- What is the end-product? Please indicate the type of deliverable product to come out of the project. These could include: (1) presentation of findings at national meetings; (2) organizing research workshops and poster days related to disseminating work in progress; (3) submission and publication of manuscripts emanating from the research in peer reviewed journals; and (4) preparation of larger grant proposals for external funding.
Please include the following appendices (outside of the 5-page limit)
- Key Personnel/Collaborators. List and provide NIH biosketches or most recent CV (limit 5-pages)
- Literature Cited (Complete citations, including titles and all authors)
- Proposed Line Item Budget. The funding awarded will be up to a maximum amount of $40,000. Please provide an accompanying budget justification.
- Salary Requested (Funds may not be used to support faculty salary; funds may be used toward supporting research staff, post-doctoral fellows, or research assistants)
- Fringe Benefits
- Equipment (include computer and software purchases)
- Supplies/Materials
- Travel
- Other Expenses
Award recipients will need to submit to the Center a mid-term progress report and a final report upon conclusion of the funded period.
Instructions for Application Submission
Dossier, including all the documents listed above must be submitted by email to Laura Sabino at lsabino@hsph.harvard.edu (as one single PDF document; individual documents will not be accepted) on or before the application deadline.
Timeline
We are currently accepting applications. The application window will be open until January 15, 2027. The estimated date of award is early May 2027.
Eligibility
- Q: Can co-investigators be doctoral students?
- A: Yes, co-investigators can be doctoral students or post-doctoral fellows, however the principal investigator must be a Harvard or Harvard-affiliated faculty members.
- Q: How do I know if I am eligible as a Harvard-affiliate?
- A: If the principal investigator is paid through a Harvard-affiliate, and you have the administrative resources to manage the award, you are considered eligible. However, please be aware, if co-investigators are from different institutions (even if Harvard-affiliated), we can only issue one agreement per award, which must be managed through the principal investigator’s institution.
- Q: May I include international partners as sub-contractors?
- A: You may include international partners as sub-contractors, however contracting for sub-contractors would have to be through the principal investigator’s institution. We can only issue one agreement per award that must be managed through the principal investigator’s institution (Harvard or a Harvard-affiliate). If the principal investigator’s institution is HSPH, then international partners will be considered, however should the grant be awarded, they may be subject to additional limitations and layers of review pending the partner’s role, location, and requisite security reviews (e.g., export control screening).
Budget
- Q: May I use seed grant funding to support faculty salary?
- A: No, funds may not be used to support faculty salary; however, funds may be used to support research staff, post-doctoral fellows, or research assistants.
- Q: May I use seed grant funding to cover indirect costs?
- A: No, seed grant funding may only be used for direct costs.
- Q: May I include space charges as direct costs?
- A: No, space charges cannot be included as direct costs. Funds should support research activities, not what would typically be considered facilities and administrative costs.
- Q: Can we use the funds to in-part to support the PhD stipend in the PHS program?
- A: Yes. G1 and G2 students are not required to work in order to receive their stipends. If you would like to use these funds to have a G1 student conduct research for you, you will need to ensure that the student agrees to participate in the project. However, please note that the student cannot receive additional salary beyond their standard stipend if the work is related to their dissertation. G1 students may work up to 20 hours per week during an academic term for additional pay. Although the school discourages this, it is permitted.
Proposal
- Q: Does the 5-page limit for CVs mean 5 pages per person or 5 pages for all CVs combined?
- A: 5 pages per person.
- Q: Should I include CVs for all key personnel and collaborators?
- A: Yes, please include CVs for all key personnel and collaborators. If the full team is larger than four people, please include CVs for the four personnel/collaborators who will have the biggest role/are most relevant to the work.
- Q: Since this is an internal funding opportunity, do I need to submit the proposal to the ORA team?
- A: You must follow your institution requirements for review and sign-off by your office of research administration, and you should check with your department administrator/grant manager before submitting your proposal.
- Q: Do I need to have IRB approval?
- A: All research involving human subjects must have approval from the applicable institutional IRB. All investigators must be trained and certified in the responsible conduct of research involving human subjects. If your research involves secondary data, you more than likely will need to apply for an exemption. If you are ultimately awarded funding, we will need either the IRB protocol number or exemption number before an account can be set up. IRB must be obtained within six months of award.
- Q: Do you require a Data Use Agreement?
- A: While we do not anticipate data exchange under these seed grants, applicants are responsible for ensuring no data is exchanged and that the appropriate parties make the determination that what’s happening doesn’t qualify as data exchange.
Past Awardees
- Exploring cognitive and neural mechanisms of spiritual development
- Investigators
- Sara Lazar, PhD, Principal Investigator, Associate Researcher & Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
- Tamas Madl, PhD, Lecturer in Consciousness, University of Vienna, and External Researcher in Machine Learning, Austrian Research Institute for AI
- Project Description: The Global Flourishing Study found spirituality is a key predictor of flourishing across cultures, and unaddressed spiritual needs in clinical settings predict poorer quality of life. We will test whether a secular program that combines character strengths/virtue and mindfulness practice can promote spiritual development, and how developmental changes relate to well-being, positive affect, and clinical symptom. Neural mechanisms of spiritual development will also be identified. The data will provide novel insights into the interplay of virtue, spiritualty, and well-being.
- Investigators
- Building for Positive Health and Well-Being: Piloting Participatory Image Annotation Workflows to Advance AI/ML Approaches for Urban Health Research in Africa
- Investigators
- Francine Laden, ScD, Principal Investigator, Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, Departments of Environmental Health and Epidemiology, Harvard Chan School, and Associate Professor of Medicine, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Dept of Medicine Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
- Hiwot Y. Zewdie, PhD, Yerby Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard Chan School
- Seth Okyere, PhD, Teaching Assistant Professor, Urban Studies Program, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, USA, and Visiting Associate Professor, Urban Planning Lab, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Osaka, Japan
- Adewale Oyeyemi, PhD, Associate Professor of Population Health at the College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University
- Peter James, ScD, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine
- Jaime E. Hart, ScD, Associate Professor, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and Department of Environmental Health, Harvard Chan School
- Project Description: Using Accra as a pilot, we will develop a participatory street view image annotation protocol, informed by local residents, to identify features that promote positive health in African cities. The findings will produce: 1) expanded understanding of the physical and perceptual urban characteristics that Accra residents associate with positive health and well-being, and 2) annotated street view images to support future computer vision workflows amplifying African perspectives in automated urban health measurement for health-centered urban planning.
- Investigators
- Motivation Awareness in Social Media Use and Its Impact on Psychological Well-Being – An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
- Investigators
- Amit Goldenberg, PhD, Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
- Yuning Liu, Doctoral student, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Yael Millgram, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University
- Project Description: Social media serves as a tool for satisfying user goals. Existing research on social media use often assumes that users are aware of their motivations, but this awareness can vary significantly. This project applies ecological momentary assessment and objective social media data to explore how motivation awareness (‘Do I know why I use social media?’) influences social media activity and its impact on well-being. The findings are expected to inform the mechanisms linking social media use to well-being and strategies for enhancing well-being in digital environments.
- Investigators
- Impact of Cerebral Visual Impairment on Positive Well-Being
- Investigators
- Corinna Bauer, PhD, Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor of Radiology & Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School
- Kim Willment, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
- Anna-Maria Baglieri, OD, Instructor, Harvard Medical School
- Project Description: This project aims to investigate the impact of cerebral visual impairments (CVI) on the quality of life (QoL) and well-being of individuals with brain injuries, focusing on both early-onset and acquired cases. It will explore how CVI affects daily activities and participation and analyze the effects on caregivers’ QoL. The outcomes will inform strategies for early intervention and support, aiming to enhance well-being and QoL for both affected individuals and their caregivers.
- Investigators
- Using Reappraisal to Increase Well-Being in Head Start Teachers at Scale
- Investigator: Jennifer Lerner, PhD, Thornton F. Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy, Decision Science, and Management, Harvard Kennedy School
- Project Description: This project developed a brief, evidence-based online intervention to help Head Start teachers improve emotional resilience through cognitive reappraisal. Tested with around 2,000 teachers, the intervention significantly reduced anxiety and stress while enhancing job satisfaction, problem-solving, and overall well-being.
- Aging, Frailty and Happiness
- Investigators:
- Benjamin Seligman, MD, PhD, Physician, UCLA Health
- Maddalena Ferranna, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics, USCMann
- David E. Bloom, PhD, Clarence James Gamble Professor of Economics and Demography, Harvard Chan School
- Ariela Orkaby, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Project Description: Frailty, defined as reduction in the body’s ability to recover from physiologic stress, is associated with physical illness and depression. Yet the relationship between frailty and happiness remains to be explored. Using data from the Gateway to Global Aging, this research will investigate associations between happiness and frailty worldwide and, where possible, explore their longitudinal relationships
- Investigators:
- Alleviating Time Poverty Among the Working Poor
- Investigator: Ashley Whillans, PhD, Volpert Family Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
- Project Description: Individuals are “time poor” when they engage in long hours of unpaid work and have no choice but to do so. This research will investigate whether and how relieving time poverty can have sustained psychological, economic, and health benefits for girls and women living in the Jaisalmer region of Rajasthan, India. Building on initial survey work, researchers will conduct an experiment, providing girls and women with rainwater collection technology designed to reduce their burden of unpaid labor.
- Countdown Global Mental Health 2030
- Investigators:
- Vikram PatelPhD, Paul Farmer Professor and Chair of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Global Health and Population, Harvard Chan School
- Shekhar Saxena, MD, Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health, Harvard Chan School
- Project Description: Despite growing attention to mental health, global investment in mental health services and promotion remains critically lacking. Countdown Global Mental Health 2030, an independent and multi-stakeholder consortium, will prepare an indicator list of determinants and components of positive mental health and well-being, as well as a preliminary analysis using the secondary data obtained for these indicators.
- Investigators:
- Developing an Adaptive Text Message Intervention to Promote Health Behavior Adherence in Type 2 Diabetes
- Investigators:
- Christopher M. Celano, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Psychiatrist, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Jeff C. Huffman MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Psychiatrist, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Susan Murphy, PhD, Mallinckrodt Professor of Statistics and Computer Science, Harvard Radcliffe Institute
- Project Description: Lack of adherence to physical activity, healthy diet, and self-care is a concern among patients with type 2 diabetes. This project aims to develop machine-learning-based text messages as a means of behavioral intervention.
- Investigators:
- Development and Validation of a Measure of Work-Related Well-being in the U.S. Workforce
- Investigators:
- Susan E. Peters, PhD, Research Scientist in Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Associate Director, Center for Work, Health, and Well- being, Harvard Chan School
- Gregory R. Wagner, MD, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Health, Harvard Chan School
- Glorian Sorensen, PhD, Research Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Co-Director, Center for Work, Health, and Well-being, Harvard Chan School
- Project Description: Using three sets of worker data, this research aims to refine the definition of work-related well-being, developing a concise but comprehensive self-report measure that is suitable for diverse working populations.
- Investigators:
- A Comparative Analysis of Resilient Phenotypes Among Bereaved Youth
- Investigators:
- Christy A. Denckla, PhD, Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard Chan School, and Assistant Professor of Psychology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
- Karestan C. Koenen, PhD, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology, and Director, Population Mental Health Lab, Harvard Chan School
- Henning Tiemeier, PhD, Sumner and Esther Feldberg Professor of Maternal and Child Health, Harvard Chan School
- Ananda Amstadter, PhD, Professor, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Katie McLaughlin, PhD, Executive Director, Ballmer Institute, and Knight Chair and Professor of Psychology, University of Oregon
- Project Description: Some bereaved youth are at lower risk for adverse mental health effects. This research will address knowledge gaps in the concept of resilience while identifying factors that promote positive health outcomes among bereaved youth.
- Investigators: