About Prosper

Vision

To advance human, social, and economic development toward a just, thriving, sustainable world.

Mission

UCLA Prosper is an interdisciplinary, campus-wide “think-and-do” initiative that brings together research, teaching, capacity building, and dialogue to address pressing glocal challenges in human, social, and economic development. The Institute translates knowledge into action to advance individual and societal thriving and create measurable, meaningful, just, and sustainable improvements in people’s lives. Prosper begins with three founding initiatives - Global Cancer Control, Violence Against Women and Children, and the Future of Higher Education - that brings its wider mission into focus through research and partnerships. Visit our Programs & Initiatives page for more information. 

Why UCLA, Why Now

UCLA is uniquely positioned to make major advances on society’s most pressing problems: a rare breadth of expertise and concentration of talent, paired with a Los Angeles location that puts UCLA’s students, faculty, and staff in direct proximity to policymakers, industry, and one of the world’s most diverse populations. Schools and departments spanning the arts, humanities, sciences, and professions sit in close physical proximity across North and South Campus, and Prosper provides the institutional structure, convening capacity, seed support, and partnership infrastructure to activate this underused resource.

Working with Partners

Prosper addresses challenges that shape people’s lives, from access to essential services to economic opportunity and community well-being. Depending on the project, people affected by these issues, community organizations, practitioners, and policymakers will help set priorities, shape research questions, interpret findings, and develop responses. Together, we will  assess whether those responses reduce barriers, improve services, or expand opportunities—and revise them based on what we learn.

Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC)