By Kelly Brawn, PhD, Head of Programs & Community Engagement, Life Science Cares Boston

I often say, most people do not walk around Boston thinking about our ecosystem of nonprofits. However, if all those organizations were to all disappear overnight, they would notice instantly. Boston’s nonprofits hold our city together.

And within these organizations, dedicated navigators–social workers, case managers, family coaching specialists, and other frontline workers–help children and families access a range of resources to keep them housed, healthy, and hopeful.  

The myriad of challenges people face while experiencing poverty are complex, interconnected, and cannot be addressed in isolation. The unique needs of each child and family cannot be solved without committed frontline workers. This is why we are proud to launch the Nexus Effect, a groundbreaking pilot designed to revolutionize how nonprofits connect children and their families to the services, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive.

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Boston’s nonprofits operate in a highly fragmented system. Some organizations have sophisticated referral platforms and dedicated care navigators. Others rely on spreadsheets, informal networks and personal relationships built over years of service. If a navigator leaves, that critical knowledge and those relationships often leave with them. For families navigating this maze of services, the hurdles are immense. They must overcome logistical barriers–from childcare to transit to time off work–just to engage multiple providers. Worse yet, people are asked to set their dignity aside as they repeatedly share deeply personal experiences to access the help they need from different organizations. Our city is filled with remarkable organizations and frontline workers, but the system is far too difficult to navigate. The result is that the people who need them most are missing out on life-changing services. 

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The Nexus Effect is built on two simple but powerful ideas. First, we must invest in the community of frontline workers which has been historically resourced. Two, strengthening the systems connecting nonprofits is just as important as strengthening the nonprofits themselves.

At the center of the Nexus Effect are navigators—frontline professionals who connect individuals and families to critical resources both within and beyond their own organizations. Through the Nexus Effect, twelve frontline navigators will form a year-long cohort focused on relationship-building, shared learning, professional development, and collaborative problem-solving. Importantly, we want to explicitly acknowledge something often overlooked: those caring for others need wellness opportunities to combat burnout and support the long-term sustainability of their essential work.

However, referrals alone are not enough. That’s why participating organizations will also receive flexible emergency funding to address the urgent, real-time needs of those they serve. This fund provides immediate support while giving us data on where persistent gaps in Greater Boston’s referral ecosystem actually lie. 

Six organizations serving children received unrestricted grants to support their navigation work, select up to 3 staff members to participate in quarterly Nexus Effect navigator convenings, and operationalize an emergency response fund. These organizations are: Boston Community Pediatrics, Children’s Services of Roxbury, FamilyAid, Horizons for Homeless Children, Julie’s Family Learning Program, and Room to Grow. Since all organizations serve children ages 0-10, participating Navigators’ work centers on a shared demographic. 

Five additional organizations that serve young adults and children ages 11-24 received funding to operationalize an emergency response fund: Alexander Twilight Academy, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Enroot, Mothers For Justice & Equality, and Young Man With A Plan.  

Throughout the pilot, Life Science Cares Boston will collect qualitative and quantitative data, including navigator insights, organizational feedback, referral patterns, emergency fund utilization, and participant experiences. We will use this data to further inform the role our industry can play to support our neighbors across Boston and the amazing nonprofits here.

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The problem of the fragmented social safety net is big, but so is the industry behind us. As life science companies believe in cures for the most complex diseases, Life Science Cares Boston believes revolutionary, lasting change is possible for our nonprofit ecosystem. Through the Nexus Effect, we aim to make nonprofits and navigators more efficient while ensuring children and families can access the dignified services they deserve. 

To learn more about how to support health equity in Boston through the Nexus Effect pilot, reach out to Kelly M. Brawn, PhD at [email protected] or Rosie Cunningham, LSC Boston Executive Director at [email protected].