The funding will support the Yale Child Study Center and two of its leading initiatives: the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program. The work is led by Professor Marc Brackett, Professor Wendy Silverman, and Professor Eli Lebowitz, whose research focuses on developing evidence-based interventions that can be scaled to support children and young people globally.
The need for this work is urgent. According to the World Health Organization, one in seven adolescents globally experiences a mental health disorder, with anxiety, depression, and behavioural conditions among the leading causes of illness and disability. Despite this, access to effective, evidence-based care remains limited, and funding for research and innovation in this area continues to fall short.
The gift from Bukhman Philanthropies is designed to help bridge this gap by accelerating the translation of research into real-world impact. It will support the development of scalable interventions, digital tools, and clinical programmes that can be used by families, educators, and healthcare providers.
A central component of the work is the expansion of RULER (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating), an evidence-based approach to teaching emotional intelligence developed by Professor Marc Brackett. Already implemented in more than 5,000 schools worldwide, RULER has reached over 200,000 educators and five million students across more than 30 countries. The funding will support the next phase of its growth, including the development of digital platforms and technology-enabled tools to extend its global reach.
In parallel, the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program, led by Professor Wendy Silverman, will advance new interventions for childhood anxiety, one of the most prevalent and impairing mental health conditions. This includes the development of digital, parent-led programmes designed to increase access to care, as well as new approaches to help young people navigate the challenges of social media in a way that supports, rather than harms, their mental health.
The funding will also support clinical trials led by Professor Eli Lebowitz, including the expansion of SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), a parent-based treatment model. New trials will extend this work into areas such as restrictive eating and chronic pain, with the aim of developing a broader, transdiagnostic framework for supporting children through their families.
The decision to support Yale was inspired by Professor Brackett’s work and his mission to advance emotional intelligence.
Daria Bukhman, Co-Founder and Chair of Bukhman Philanthropies, said:
“In a rapidly changing world shaped by technological change, including AI, the qualities that make us truly human - emotional awareness, empathy, and connection - will become more important than ever. Young people today face increasing pressures, and as parents, we have a responsibility to equip them with the tools and support they need to lead resilient, meaningful, and fulfilling lives.”
Through this partnership, Bukhman Philanthropies aims to support a step-change in how children’s mental health is understood and addressed - accelerating research, expanding access to care, and helping to build systems that enable children and families to thrive.