(Press-News.org) The Kraft Center for Community Health at Mass General Brigham today announced the launch of the second annual Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health, a national award recognizing organizations and innovators driving measurable improvements in community health with scalable, real-world models.
The prize will award $100,000 to one recipient addressing critical health challenges in any of a number of areas — cancer, cardiometabolic disease, substance use disorder, maternal health, or the social factors that influence health outcomes such as housing stability, food insecurity, and economic mobility.
“The Kraft Center for Community Health’s mission is rooted in expanding access to high-quality, cost-effective care for medically underserved patients, families and communities,” said Robert Kraft, chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group. “Through this prize, we are proud to recognize the innovative work of others and support efforts to build transformative organizations that are driving meaningful, lasting change in community health.”
The Kraft Prize recipient will also receive entry and travel accommodations for up to two team members to present at the Mass General Brigham World Medical Innovation Forum (WMIF), held September 22-23, 2026, in Boston. The WMIF convenes more than 2,000 global leaders annually to explore breakthrough ideas and solutions across healthcare innovation, investment, technology, and policy. The Kraft Center will also provide the winner with tailored, hands-on support, including access to Mass General Brigham’s Innovation MESH Network and MESH Core, making connections to collaborators, expertise, and resources to help accelerate impact. Two finalists will each receive $10,000 and be invited to attend the WMIF.
“We are excited to launch the second year of the Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health, which elevates bold, technology-enabled solutions that are improving community health outcomes nationwide,” said Elsie Taveras, MD, MPH, Chief Community Health and Health Equity Officer at Mass General Brigham and Executive Director of the Kraft Center for Community Health. “At the Kraft Center, our work is rooted in expanding access to care for cardiovascular disease, addiction, maternal health, and cancer for communities with unmet needs. This prize reflects our deep pride in innovative programming and our commitment to amplifying exceptional work that is transforming community health.”
Last year’s inaugural Kraft Prize winner was ThriveLink, a telephonic AI enrollment solution that enables families to verbally complete and submit applications for safety-net programs such as health insurance, food assistance and utility support.
“The Kraft Prize changes everything for us,” said Kwamane Liddel, founder and CEO of ThriveLink. “It’s not just the dollars but all we can learn and the connections we can make. A third of the battle is people knowing about our work and everything that we do”
The Kraft Prize is open to U.S.-based community health practitioners, healthcare professionals, non-profit organizations, private-sector leaders, and innovators. Applications, including two letters of support from community partners, must be submitted by April 30, 2026, through the [link] application portal. Applicants need to demonstrate a clear and measurable impact on community health in at least one of the aforementioned priority areas and show community engagement in the development and implementation of their company, program or innovation.
Application timeline:
Application opens: January 28, 2026
Applications due: April 30, 2026
Application review period: May-June 2026
Prize recipient and finalists notified: July 2026
World Medical Innovation Forum: September 22-23, 2026
For more information about the Kraft Prize and to apply, visit massgeneralbrigham.org/kraftprize.
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About Mass General Brigham
Mass General Brigham is an integrated academic health care system, uniting great minds to solve the hardest problems in medicine for our communities and the world. Mass General Brigham connects a full continuum of care across a system of academic medical centers, community and specialty hospitals, a health insurance plan, physician networks, community health centers, home care, and long-term care services. Mass General Brigham is a nonprofit organization committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. In addition, Mass General Brigham is one of the nation's leading biomedical research organizations with several Harvard Medical School teaching hospitals. For more information, please visit massgeneralbrigham.org.
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