Center for Digital Thriving Receives $3 Million Grant

The Center for Digital Thriving (CDT), a part of Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has received a $3 million grant from Bukhman Philanthropies, a London-based foundation focused on improving the mental health and well-being of children and young adults. The two-year investment will deepen the center’s work to support agency with AI for both youth and educators.

The grant builds on momentum from CDT’s first three years as a public research center toward its vision: a future where every educator coaches students toward digital thriving through joyful, connected learning — guided by research, shaped by youth voices, and tailored to their communities. 

“Working closely with youth and educators has only strengthened our belief that AI literacy isn’t just about understanding technology. To have agency with these tools, we need to also understand the business models behind them, and who we are becoming in relation to them,” said Beck Tench, co-founder and principal investigator at Center for Digital Thriving. “Educators can feel on their back foot with Al, but we've found that they already have what they need in this moment: social emotional skills to anchor their relationships with students, and a deep sense of care. What’s missing are the structures, resources, and support to reinforce those relationships and meet their students where they are with AI. We're grateful Bukhman Philanthropies shares our aspiration to fill those gaps through research that supports agency with AI.”

“One of our primary aims as a philanthropic organization is to help build a brighter collective future, and we know that youth must be included at every step to make that possible,” said Daria Bukhman, co-founder and chair of Bukhman Philanthropies. “As an educator myself, I believe in the power of literacy to light the path forward. CDT's work lets educators and students walk it together, especially when so many are feeling in the dark with AI.” 

With Bukhman’s support, CDT will continue to grow its agency-centered portfolio of work on AI in education, including: 

• “On-the-ground” community engagement in classrooms: CDT will work directly with schools and communities using its agency-centered AI resources to iterate and expand them in real classrooms so they remain grounded in truth and can meet rapidly evolving experiences.
• Youth advisory to include young people as co-creators of their own futures: CDT’s listening-fueled design cycle guides its research and resource development — always with young people as collaborators. This new support will sustain the center’s direct engagement with youth advisors through listening sessions, co-design, and research co-interpretation. 
• Creation and dissemination of free and public goods: Last year, CDT released five free, co-designed classroom practices to help educators and students explore AI together. This new funding will expand the development and dissemination of more, free research-based public goods.

“Project Zero has a long history of ‘making thinking visible’ in classrooms. We need that kind of shared exploration now more than ever with AI,” said Carrie James, co-director at Project Zero and co-founder at Center for Digital Thriving. “One of the best ways to do that often starts by talking to each other and listening with curiosity.” 

“Conversations about AI in education need to center people instead of policy alone, which is why listening to educators and young people is the heartbeat of our work,” said Emily Weinstein, co-founder at Center for Digital Thriving. “We’re grateful for the support of Bukhman Philanthropies to continue to shape a better future for, and with, the next generation.”

Every resource and effort made possible by the grant is designed around the same goal: to foster meaningful choice, intention, and control over how AI shapes our lives and learning. With Bukhman’s support, CDT will continue the work of helping young people and the adults who care about them to navigate AI together. 

About the Center for Digital Thriving

Center for Digital Thriving (CDT) is a research and innovation center based at Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education. We create knowledge and research-based resources that help youth thrive in a tech-filled world — and we believe educators are essential partners in making that possible. CDT works through a listening-fueled design cycle that guides research and resource development through discovery, development, and deployment, always with young people as co-creators.

Learn more at centerfordigitalthriving.org. 

About Bukhman Philanthropies 

Bukhman Philanthropies was founded by Dmitri and Daria Bukhman, reflecting their diverse philanthropic aspirations driven by a shared commitment to creating meaningful change and building a brighter collective future. Their core focus areas include Neonatal and Maternal Support, Mental Health and Wellbeing of Children and Young Adults, and Literature.

For more information visit bukhmanphilanthropies.org.