In 1939, Harvard University received an award from the William T. Grant Foundation to study what made young men successful and healthy. The study took on the name of its initial sponsor and has been referred to as “The Grant Study” since its inception. Two hundred and sixty-eight Harvard University students were recruited into the study from 1939–1942. The study has lasted over seventy years and has created a rich database that has served as a resource for over 150 scholars and scientists. Approximately thirty of the original study participants are still alive and in their nineties. Cohan will interview former and current study directors, George Vaillant and Robert Waldinger, along with at least five of the study participants. The film will share the findings of this seminal study with a broader audience.
This grant will support the production of a documentary that chronicles the last years of the participants of the Grant Study of Adult Development.
