In 2011, when philanthropist Robert Kraft established the Kraft Center for Community Health at Mass General Brigham, he envisioned a place that would serve as a nexus uniting systems and professionals dedicated to the belief that that every person — regardless of their socioeconomic status — should have access to high-quality, cost-effective healthcare. Today, the Kraft Center is a recognized leader in real-world community health innovation in the Boston area and beyond. Last year, the center launched its latest effort to improve health-related outcomes for patients and community members: the Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health, a national award recognizing organizations and innovators driving measurable, scalable improvements.
The 2025 Kraft Prize was awarded to ThriveLink — a phone-based AI tool designed to make it easier for patients and community members to access government and community-based safety-net programs. The $100,000 prize also included an opportunity for ThriveLink founder, President and CEO Kwamane Liddell to attend and present at the 2025 Mass General Brigham World Medical Innovation Forum. We asked Liddell about the experience and what the Kraft Prize means for the company.
What is ThriveLink’s mission regarding community health?
I started my career in healthcare as a janitor in a hospital. Then I went to nursing school and became an emergency department nurse, and later a healthcare lawyer. Through it all, I noticed a pattern. Many of the patients coming through the system — from heart attack survivors to stroke patients — were facing the same underlying challenge. Navigating public assistance for basic needs like food, housing, and medical costs was overwhelmingly complex.
With ThriveLink, we’re simplifying what was never meant to be this hard. We are creating a way for patients to access all the healthcare and social resources they need in a self-service manner with AI. Using ThriveLink, people can get government and community resources, discounted medications, and medical equipment. They can schedule home health services. They can get healthy groceries or car seats. We’re putting all those things in one practical place.
What kind of impact has the Kraft Prize had for you and the company?
The prestige of the prize validated our approach almost immediately. At the time, we were still relatively unknown and primarily focused on government programs. Now instead of a start-up, we’re seen as a serious partner and that’s opened doors. We’re co-designing AI agents for specific groups like Mass General Brigham, the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers, and the Boston Public Schools. Having Mass General Brigham as a partner has been so valuable. With their expertise and reputation, we’ve been able to better develop our model and increase its adoption nationwide. We recently launched a digital version of ThriveLink that I’m very excited about. It functions like an online store. Instead of calling the Home Energy Assistance Program, users can simply add heating assistance to their cart and answer a few questions, just like ordering from Amazon.
What was the experience of attending and presenting at the innovation forum like?
It was transformative, but more so than the forum, it was the preparation we received around how to communicate and market ourselves that’s made the biggest difference. For an early-stage company like ours, access to that level of training and exposure is rare. Learning how to tell our story and articulate a vision for growth, from a small company to something much bigger, was a true turning point. All the preparation we did helped us win an American Heart Association’s National Leaders of Impact Award, which has raised our profile even more.
The Kraft Prize is open to U.S.-based community health practitioners, innovators, healthcare professionals, non-profit organizations, and private-sector leaders. Applicants need to demonstrate a clear and measurable impact on community health in cancer, cardiometabolic disease, maternal health or substance use disorder and show community engagement in the development and implementation of their company, program or innovation.
Application timeline:
- 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.
