Mass General Brigham, based in Somerville, Mass., is betting that some of the next big breakthroughs in health equity may not come from inside hospitals.
This week, the health system named the inaugural winner of its Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health, a new $100,000 award aimed at spotlighting community-driven solutions that improve health outcomes at scale. The first recipient is St. Louis-based ThriveLink, which helps families enroll in safety-net programs — from food assistance to utility aid — through a phone call.
For Elsie Taveras, MD, Mass General Brigham’s chief community health and health equity officer and a member of the award’s review committee, the choice was personal. She recalled the frustration of treating patients who left her clinic with prescriptions in hand but without the food or housing security needed to stay healthy.
“If I identify that a patient is hungry, or they run out of money at the end of the month to feed their household, then I’ve failed that family,” she told Becker’s.
ThriveLink’s platform offers a way to “close the loop” by connecting patients to vital resources, even if they lack internet access, literacy skills or smartphones, she said.
The Kraft Prize drew nearly 150 applications from across the country, reflecting a surge of interest in grassroots approaches to community health. Two other organizations were recognized as finalists: Mae, a digital platform expanding access to doulas for pregnant women, and Sober Sidekick, a peer-led recovery app that has supported more than 1 million users.
What united the finalists, Dr. Taveras said, was their design philosophy.
“All three of these organizations have in common lived experience, person-centered and community-centered design,” she said. “They are guided by the populations they serve, strong science of what works and, of course, innovation and compassion.”
The award is more than a one-time check. ThriveLink will be integrated into Mass General Brigham’s innovation ecosystem, with access to technical assistance, systemwide networks and opportunities to present at the health system’s World Medical Innovation Forum.
The initiative underscores a broader shift at Mass General Brigham: a recognition that advancing health equity requires more than clinical care. By investing in community-built tools, the system hopes to bridge gaps in housing, food security, addiction recovery and maternal health — areas where traditional healthcare often has fallen short.
“What I hope health systems take away from this inaugural prize is that there is so much science, so much innovation already out there,” Dr. Taveras said. “We are not doing enough to recognize those and translate them into improved community health outcomes.”
The Kraft Center for Community Health, established in 2011 with a gift from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, will open applications for the 2026 prize next year. Dr. Taveras said she expects even more organizations to come forward. For now, she sees ThriveLink as proof that solutions rooted in community experience can succeed on a national stage.
