Five Minutes with… Stacey Abrams on why health equity starts close to home

Posted on May 20, 2026May 21, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

For years, Stacey Abrams has been one of America’s most recognizable champions for expanding access to the ballot box, to economic opportunity, and to the systems that shape who gets to thrive. A former Georgia House minority leader, two-time gubernatorial candidate, bestselling author, and founder of organizations including Fair Fight and American Pride Rises, Abrams has built a national profile by connecting the dots between structural inequities and the everyday lives they shape.

That same desire to expand access is what animates Close to Home: a new health equity initiative from American Pride Rises designed to help people better understand how wellness is shaped by policy, place, and the everyday pressures we all face. Alongside a public education campaign, the initiative also pairs storytelling and resource-sharing with a 2026 health equity microgrant program designed to surface community-driven solutions.

In this installment of Five Minutes With…, NationSwell asked Abrams to reflect on why health equity belongs in the same conversation as democracy and economic mobility; what makes such an initiative remarkable in a moment when even the language of equity is under attack; and what she hopes funders, business leaders, and civic institutions will do to bring this work close to their own homes.

NationSwell: In the simplest terms, what is “Close to Home,” and why did American Pride Rises want to make health equity one of its flagship fights right now?

Stacey Abrams, founder of American Pride Rises: American Pride Rises focuses on DEI in our everyday lives, and one of the most important and high impact places where DEI has been critical is in the healthcare space. The Close to Home campaign is focused on how we can best surface, understand, and invest in community-driven solutions that reflect the lived healthcare experiences of the most impacted communities.

Put more simply, the Close to Home campaign is a place to understand how health connects to our daily lives and to one another through the lens of DEI.

NationSwell: The name “Close to Home” is significant. What does that phrase mean to you, and how does it help people understand how inequity actually shows up in everyday life?

Abrams, APR: We know that health equity is a fairly misunderstood issue. It often feels like something that’s being done to you; as if your access to healthcare is shaped by Washington, D.C., that your access to a hospital is being changed by your state, or that your access to a fair chance at good health is being determined by your background or your zip code. What we want to do is say that it is close to home, it is your community, it is your family, but if the problems are there, so are the solutions.

At the same time, we also want folks to understand that these health outcomes, these challenges, are not personal: It’s close to home, but it’s not you. So many of us are made to believe that a poor health outcome is a personal failure, and Close to Home is designed to help us understand the gaps that exist in access, and between people and opportunities, and that the solutions are close to home.

NationSwell: Close to Home seems designed to do three things at once: public education, community-based microgrants, and policy advocacy. How do those pieces work together, and why was it important to build an initiative that operates across all three?

Abrams, APR: First and foremost, we have to understand the systemic failure that has led to the healthcare crisis. We’re talking about communities that face barriers to preventive care, higher rates of chronic illness, environmental hazards, and rising healthcare costs, and all of that can be traced back to what you know, who you know, how much things cost, and who’s in charge. That’s why we always say it comes back to education, economics, and elections.

On the education side, we are stronger when we understand what we’re facing. Too many Americans of all backgrounds are experiencing persistent health challenges because of gaps in access to care. And that’s part of the onus of DEI: understanding that diversity means all people, equity means fair access to opportunity, and inclusion means respect for belonging — especially when it comes to healthcare.

So the education piece is about making sure people know what they’re entitled to and understand the barriers they face. The microgrants are the economic piece. We know that, at scale, it’s going to take public policy to solve these problems — but close to home, we are already incubating and ideating solutions. One of the most important things we want to lift up is that wherever you live, you probably have a neighbor, a friend, or a community member who’s thinking about how to make life better and improve access to healthcare.

The intention of the microgrants is to invest in those ideas. Because of the attacks on DEI and the attacks on the Affordable Care Act, resources that could make us stronger are instead making us sicker, more divided, and more vulnerable. So the microgrants are really about investing in communities to surface extraordinary ideas, test those experiments, and then say: based on what we now know, let’s build systems that can scale them.

And that leads to the third piece: policy. It is a political decision to undermine public health infrastructure. It is a political decision to use executive orders to attack equity in healthcare. It is a policy decision to roll back protections for women’s bodily autonomy, and to undermine care for communities facing the AIDS and HIV epidemic.

These are policy decisions, and therefore it is our responsibility to advocate for the policies that can make us healthier, help unite us, and strengthen not only those most directly impacted, but the communities they’re part of. We all win, regardless of where we start, when we solve healthcare inequity.

NationSwell: What feels differentiated about the approach American Pride Rises is taking here, particularly in a moment when even the language of equity is under attack?

Abrams, APR: We begin with the belief that we have to understand what we face. And to your very first question about what “Close to Home” means, we know that the language we hear helps shape what we believe we’re entitled to. That’s why we’re focusing on the language of “Close to Home”: because we want people to understand that this is an everyday issue. It’s not remote. It’s about you, your loved ones, and your community. For us, it’s about helping people understand how the values of DEI improve health outcomes for all communities.

We’re talking about providers who are trained to deliver competent care based on your cultural needs. For example, we know that men can experience PSA levels differently in ways that affect whether prostate cancer is detected. That’s culturally competent care. And that doesn’t care about who you are; it cares about what biology tells us about your health needs. We know that women, especially women going through menopause, have very specific needs, and that policies should be designed around the people most impacted. We know that rural communities often have less access to healthcare simply because of geography.

So part of our intention is to use language that helps people understand that diversity isn’t a curse. It is one of the superpowers of our society, but it can only work if we understand how it can be used for us, or weaponized against us.

NationSwell: When you look at the communities this initiative is meant to serve, what do you see as the most overlooked drivers of health inequity — the forces upstream from the doctor’s office that too many leaders still treat as separate from “health”?

Abrams, APR: Well, let’s just start with the current administration’s decisions: We began with the slashing of federal funding for healthcare, and we saw this administration double healthcare premiums for 20 million Americans and kick 14 million people off their coverage in order to fund a permanent tax handout for the top 1%.

That has real consequences, because those are still people who are going to show up in our hospitals. They’re still going to show up in urgent care, but they’re not going to have the care they need. And there’s a cost to every American. We don’t often think about this, but when someone goes to the hospital and can’t afford care, the hospital absorbs that as uncompensated care and then passes those costs along to everyone else. One of the realities is that our affordability crisis is caused, in part, by our broken healthcare system.

You can’t afford to get what you need because when you do get support, you’re being charged more than you should. Number two: this administration also cut environmental justice investments. That may sound esoteric, until you realize what it actually means: they cut efforts to address the health burdens facing vulnerable communities, including communities living with high levels of pollution. When you roll back environmental protections, you create an environmental hazard that becomes a healthcare cost.

And then there’s something very close to me, and to where I live in Georgia: we have one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the nation. But this is not endemic to Georgia, and it’s not endemic to the South. When maternal mortality rises, it’s not just healthcare costs that go up, the economic costs to the entire community go up as well. There are real economic harms that come with persistent health challenges.

We are all made stronger when we have a public health infrastructure that goes beyond the medicine we’re given and extends into the communities we live in.

NationSwell: At a time when many institutions are retreating from equity language or narrowing their ambitions, what does it look like to make the case for health equity in a way that is both morally clear and broadly resonant?

Abrams, APR: I was having a conversation with someone earlier today who asked me, “Why do you talk about DEI and equity so brazenly?” And I said it comes down to two things. First, when we adapt our language, we change our minds. That’s not always a bad thing; sometimes we change our language because we’ve learned something new. New language can help us evolve our thinking, but that same dynamic can also be used against us.

So when it comes to the attacks on DEI, my question is always: Which letter don’t you agree with? Do you oppose diversity? Are you offended by equity? Are you afraid of inclusion? What part is problematic? Equity simply means fair access to opportunity. And in healthcare, equity means understanding that when one person is healthier — when a system is healthier — we all benefit.

That goes back to a fundamental recognition: too many of us have been trained to believe that broken healthcare is a personal failing, that our needs are simply the result of individual choices. But health is shaped by the places we call home. It’s shaped by the work we do. It’s shaped by the pressures we face. It’s shaped by what we can afford.

That’s why it’s so important to talk about health equity and to talk about DEI. Because when we internalize that language, we also internalize the power to know that things can be made better. The attacks on DEI are not happening because DEI has failed. They’re happening because DEI has been working — because Americans of all backgrounds were getting better access and a fairer shot at living healthy, thriving lives.

Those who oppose it demonized the language. So for me, it is a power move to keep using it, because when we own the language, we own the narrative. And the narrative should be that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot at living a healthy and thriving life, no matter where they are — but especially close to home.

NationSwell: You’ve spent so much of your career expanding access to power in democracy, in the economy, in public life. Why does health equity belong in that same conversation?

Abrams, APR: I grew up in southern Mississippi. I used to be on the debate team when I was young, and when we’d pass through Louisiana, we would drive through what was known as “Cancer Alley.” The fact that there was a nationally recognized name for an entire community defined by environmental harm was devastating. What it said was that, in pursuit of revenue, it was acceptable for industry to poison a whole community. And that community was predominantly Black and predominantly poor.

My family did not have health insurance. When we got sick, prayer was our best option — and then Tylenol. Those should not be the choices we have to make. My dad fell off scaffolding and broke his back in an on-the-job accident, but his employer refused to pay for it. So my parents had to figure out how to cover extraordinary medical bills while also fighting a legal system that ignored my father because of his race.

Now my parents are older, and they’re grappling with healthcare issues again. But the difference is: now they have health insurance, and now they have a daughter who knows who to call and has the ability to open doors. What I can do on an individual level for my parents today should be available to every person, for every member of their family, every day.

Equity is about fair access. I should not have more access simply because more people know my name. This comes close to home for me because I cannot believe in a democracy that is real if it does not include all people.

NationSwell: If you could leave corporate leaders, funders, and civic institutions with one challenge as they think about their own role in health equity, what would you want them to do differently? How could they start the work close to home?

Abrams, APR: A healthy workforce is the least expensive form of labor. At the most basic economic level, it is better for industry and better for companies to have a healthy workforce. People work faster, they work better, and they’re not stressed about the next accident or the next mistake. So at a very basic level, it’s in the interest of business leaders to want a healthcare system that works for all of us.

At the societal level, we know that DEI helps ensure the healthcare system reflects real communities — that we have providers trained to deliver culturally competent care, and that policies are designed around the people most impacted. When we invest in DEI and healthcare, we build systems that work better for everyone. When we solve healthcare problems for the most vulnerable or the most complex cases, there’s a follow-on benefit for everyone else.

And ultimately, in a democracy, business does better when people can afford to invest, afford to come to work, and afford to value your products. “Close to Home” is about connecting those dots and making sure we are building healthier, more equitable communities everywhere we go, and supporting the ideas that actually lift us up.

Companies already know from the data that when people do better, they are more productive, more engaged, and stronger community members. So at the individual, corporate, and societal level, health equity makes us all richer.

Leveraging AI & Technology to Connect More Communities to Quality Healthcare

Posted on May 6, 2026May 26, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

Technology is reshaping healthcare access, but progress is uneven. AI, digital tools, and data platforms have the potential to extend care to underserved communities, address workforce shortages, and improve outcomes. At the same time, gaps in infrastructure, trust, and governance risk widening disparities rather than closing them.

On May 5, NationSwell convened a group of leaders from the healthcare, technology, philanthropy, and the social sectors to unpack how AI and technology can be used to connect more communities to quality care. Together, the group focused on practical strategies for deploying technology responsibly, building partnerships that center community needs, and ensuring that innovation strengthens equity, affordability, and trust in healthcare systems. Some of the most salient takeaways from the discussion appear below:

Key Takeaways:

Ensure that technology empowers community health workers as relationship builders. AI and tech are most valuable when they augment the work of community health workers rather than substitute it. The trusted, relational role that CHWs play in their communities is the irreplaceable foundation of effective care connection. All technology deployed should be designed to protect and extend that capacity.

Design AI tools with CHWs and communities. The most responsible AI adoption in healthcare requires community health workers and the communities they serve to be active participants in tool design. Without mechanisms for feedback, bias mitigation, and accountability, technology risks widening the very health inequities it aims to address.

Prioritize data security and trust as foundational. Organizations working at the intersection of technology and community health must treat data stewardship with the same rigor as the healthcare system itself. Achieving certifications, committing to governance structures, and designing platforms that bring AI into the human loop are essential to maintaining the trust that makes community engagement possible.

Address the full picture of need, not just point-of-care data. Existing data systems often capture only what brings someone into the healthcare system, missing the co-occurring social determinants of health that shape outcomes. Continuous, relationship-based data collection with the support of technology can surface a more complete and actionable picture that enables both better resource connection and effective advocacy.

Invest in AI literacy and critical capacity for the CHW workforce. Community health workers need both the practical skills to use AI tools effectively and the critical frameworks to evaluate how those tools are designed and deployed. Approaches that build competency while also developing CHW voice in governance and advocacy are critical to ensuring that the workforce shaping communities is not left behind as technology advances.

Build toward interoperability and sustainable models. For community-based organizations to achieve lasting impact through technology, they must be able to integrate securely with healthcare payer systems. Achieving interoperability opens pathways to revenue that sustains mission-driven work in ways that philanthropic funding alone cannot.

Shift the question from “can we?” to “should we?” Across sectors, the most important orientation toward AI adoption is not simply capability, but intentionality. Keeping the focus on how technology can better serve CHWs, and continuously asking whether each application advances their interventions, is the compass that keeps this work on the right path.

Health in Action: Care Needs and Innovations in Rural Communities

Posted on March 25, 2026May 26, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

Rural communities face some of the most persistent health challenges in the country—provider shortages, long travel distances for care, limited broadband, higher rates of chronic illness, and underfunded local health systems. Yet, across these same regions, practitioners, employers, health systems, nonprofits, and local leaders are piloting innovative approaches: mobile and telehealth models, community health workers, cross-sector care networks, and employer-backed wellness programs that meet people where they are.

During a March 24 virtual Leader Roundtable, leaders from the NationSwell community came together to discuss the real-world models working on the ground, the operational and financial barriers to scaling them, and the opportunities for multi-sector collaboration that can create more reliable, equitable access to care. Some of the most salient takeaways from that discussion appear below:

Key takeaways

Recognize Community Health Workers as the connective tissue. CHWs are most effective when embedded within communities and linked to broader care systems, bridging social services, clinical care, and local resources. Sustaining and expanding this impact requires flexible funding that meets CHWs where they are by unlocking early-stage innovation, reducing unnecessary restrictions, and resourcing the work already happening on the ground.

Anchor care in community infrastructure to expand access at scale. Care is most effective when it flows through familiar structures, such as churches and local organizations that have long served as anchors in their communities, rather than relying solely on traditional clinical settings. From faith-based health navigation to in-home support for high-risk populations, training and deploying workers from within these networks strengthens engagement and increases the likelihood that care is sustained.

Leverage technology to unlock reimbursement and coordination. Purpose-built platforms, hub models, and shared infrastructure are enabling community-based organizations to track outcomes, meet compliance requirements, and access reimbursement. When paired with technical support, these tools reduce administrative burden and make it possible to scale impact while maintaining quality.

Use data to prove value and secure sustainable funding. Demonstrating outcomes like increased primary care engagement, reduced emergency utilization, and cost savings is critical to making the case for continued investment. Data not only validates the impact of community-based models but also translates that impact into language that funders and policymakers act on.

Invest in training that is locally relevant and role-specific. Expanding the workforce requires equipping CHWs with training that reflects the populations they serve, from maternal health to behavioral health to chronic disease. Tailored, community-informed curricula ensure that workers are prepared to meet the specific needs of their communities.

Close the gap by aligning systems, funding, and community needs. Persistent barriers like fragmented data systems, limited interoperability, and short-term funding continue to slow progress. Closing the rural health access gap requires deeper coordination, sustained investment in community-based infrastructure, and policies that reflect how care is actually delivered on the ground.

Impact Next: An interview with One Mind’s Kathy Pike

Posted on March 20, 2026May 20, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

At a moment of inequality and division, who is advancing the vanguard of economic and social progress to bolster under-served communities? Whose work is fostering the inclusive growth that ensures every individual thrives? Who will set the ambitious standards that mobilize whole industries, challenging their peers to reach new altitudes of social impact?

In 2026, Impact Next — an editorial flagship series from NationSwell — will spotlight the standard-bearing corporate social responsibility and impact leaders, entrepreneurs, experts, and philanthropists whose catalytic work has the potential to shape the landscape of progress amid urgent need for social and economic action.

For this installment, NationSwell interviewed Kathy Pike, President and CEO of One Mind. Here’s what she had to say:

Ray Hutchison, Vice President of Community Engagement, NationSwell: What brought you to the field that you’re in now? Was there an early moment or a formative experience that helped shape how you arrived at this role, or your leadership?

Dr. Kathy Pike, President and CEO of One Mind: Before I became CEO of One Mind, I spent 35 years as an academic, as a professor at Columbia University in the Department of Psychiatry and the School of Public Health. Academia is a kind of priesthood, and moving from a full-time faculty role into leading a nonprofit is not a transition most academics make. So something had to shift for me, and it really came down to a couple of moments.

About ten years ago, I was invited by a large multinational company in New York to give a talk on mental health and well-being. I went in for an in-person prep meeting, and they told me there was one condition: I couldn’t say “mental health” or “mental illness.” Those terms were considered too alienating, too stigmatizing. They wanted the talk framed entirely around stress, coping, and resilience.

That stayed with me. The discomfort around even naming mental health felt incredibly restrictive, and I remember giving those kinds of talks and feeling like progress was painfully slow.

Then, a few years ago, after COVID, I was invited back to that same company to give a similar talk. When I walked in, there was a large sign on the door that read something like: “Feeling anxious? Depressed? Want to talk? I’m a mental health ambassador.”

That was a crystallizing moment for me. It was clear we had entered a genuinely new era, one where people were paying real attention to mental health and well-being. And with that shift came a huge opportunity to bridge what we know from rigorous science with what is actually happening in workplaces and communities.

I have always been deeply committed to translational science, to the question of how we take what we know and get it into the hands of people who can use it. That moment made it clear to me that the bridge between science and practice needed to be stronger, and that I wanted to lean fully into building it. When the opportunity came to join One Mind, it felt like exactly the right place to focus that work, to help ensure that what reaches people is grounded in strong science and actually makes a difference in their lives.

Hutchison, NationSwell: What is the “North Star” of your leadership style, and how has it changed over time? What is it about the way that you lead in the space that makes you an effective leader?

Pike, OneMind: Early in my leadership career, I was very focused on building a team that could deliver the work with excellence. I approached leadership in a very task-oriented way. When I thought about hiring or bringing people onto a team, it was largely about finding the right people to get the job done.

And that’s still essential. The work does need to get done, and it needs to be done well. But over time, my thinking about leadership has evolved, and I now see leadership as much more about leading with people. It’s about understanding who individuals are so that they can do the work they’re best suited for. The work they approach with energy and passion, and that allows them to operate at their highest level.

So the question becomes: How do you create the right match between the work that needs to be done and the person who’s doing it? Because when someone is working in an area where they feel alive, engaged, and capable of excellence, they’re simply going to do better work. It’s a subtle shift; the goal of delivering the work doesn’t change, but it changes how I think about leadership, especially when something isn’t working. It changes the questions I ask and the adjustments I consider.

More recently, when we think about building teams, I’ve come to see it less like assembling pieces of a pre-made puzzle and more like building with Legos. You may have an idea of what you’re trying to build, but people bring different strengths and perspectives, and the organization becomes stronger when you build around those differences. When people feel fulfilled and are working in areas they care about and feel strong in, the quality of the work improves as well.

Hutchison, NationSwell: What are some of the programs, signature initiatives, or some facets of the work that you’re doing at One Mind that feel particularly cut-through?

Pike, OneMind: I knew I wanted to lead an organization focused on translating science into practice, and One Mind felt like the right fit for a couple of reasons. For one thing, there’s a deep commitment to grounding the organization in science, which aligns closely with how I believe the mental health field needs to move forward. But there’s also a more personal reason: My paternal uncle was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was around 20 years old, before I was born. As a child, I used to visit him with my father on Sundays at Rockland State Psychiatric Hospital, where he lived as a ward of the state for most of his adult life. But more than living there, he languished there. It wasn’t because people didn’t care. There were many deeply committed professionals working at the hospital, but the treatments and the understanding of serious mental illness at the time were very limited. I remember riding home after those visits thinking, we have to be able to do better than this. I’m sure that experience shaped my path toward becoming a clinical psychologist, and ultimately joining One Mind.

One Mind was founded by Shari and Garen Staglin after their son, Brandon, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. In contrast to my uncle’s experience, Brandon is thriving today. He serves as our Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer, and the opportunity to work alongside him was an important part of my decision to join the organization. In a certain poetic way, it feels like being able to say, we’re doing better now, Uncle Henry.

Of course, a diagnosis like schizophrenia is not unlike other serious health conditions where you can do everything right and still face difficult outcomes, but we can do far more now than we once could to help people thrive. One Mind’s commitment to integrating people with lived experience in all our programming under Brandon’s leadership, is enormously valuable and meaningful and ensures that the priorities and perspectives of those we aim to serve shape what we do.

What excites me every day is the way our work pushes the field forward across three core pillars: The One Mind Rising Star Academy supports researchers pursuing bold, breakthrough ideas in neuroscience to better understand the brain and develop new interventions; the One Mind Accelerator brings investment, technology, and innovation into mental health to build scalable, sustainable solutions; and One Mind at Work takes those insights into workplaces, helping organizations rethink how work itself supports mental health and well-being.

Across all three, the goal is the same: to demonstrate that better is possible, and to help make that future real.

Hutchison, NationSwell: What are the trends that you’re currently seeing that are giving you hope?

Pike, One Mind: Mental health is definitely having a moment. For a long time, nobody wanted to talk about it. Now everyone does. The advances in science and technology, the innovation, and the level of investment coming into this space fill me with genuine hope and make me deeply optimistic about what lies ahead.

But I’ll be honest about what keeps me up at night. All of this attention may not translate into real impact. There’s a real risk that good intentions don’t actually achieve their aims, and if that happens, the naysayers will say: we invested in mental health, we funded research, we built workplace programs, and nothing changed. They’ll throw up their hands and walk away. That concerns me deeply, because I believe we have a genuine opportunity right now, and I don’t want to see us squander it.

Here’s the challenge: too much of the work in mental health is underdosed. Think about strep throat. A doctor prescribes a very specific antibiotic at a very specific dose for a very specific number of days, because that is what produces results. In mental health, we have evidence-based strategies that similarly require a certain level of frequency and intensity to work. But too often we are asked to make do with less. It’s like telling a doctor to cut the prescription in half and then wondering why the patient isn’t getting better.

At One Mind, we think about this constantly. Good intentions are not enough. We are committed to translating science into programs that are designed and scaled for real impact.

And here is what I keep coming back to: we are living in a moment of extraordinary possibility. The science is stronger than it has ever been. The cultural openness is wider than it has ever been. The investment is growing. If we do this right, if we stay grounded in evidence and committed to reaching the people who need it most, I believe mental health will lead the way to a broader and more expansive understanding of what it means to be healthy. Not just mentally healthy, but fully, wholly healthy. That future is within reach, and that is what drives me every single day.

Hutchison, NationSwell: How are you thinking about AI in this moment? Is there a future where it’s a force for good? And if so, what does that look like? How do we get there?

Pike, One Mind: It’s not a future where AI becomes a force for good; it’s already here. AI is power, and it is potential. In many ways, it’s like water or money: what matters is how you use it.

In mental health and well-being, AI offers tremendous opportunity. Population-level data show that the burden of untreated mental health conditions is enormous, one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. And the vast majority of people with these conditions, whether in high-income countries like the United States or in lower-income countries and communities in the US, are not receiving treatment.

There are many reasons for that. Stigma remains a barrier, access to care is limited, and AI can help address both. It can expand access to information and support in ways that feel more private for people who are hesitant to seek care openly; it can help standardize aspects of care and reduce administrative burdens, like documentation and record-keeping, that take time away from clinicians. In those ways, AI has the potential to dramatically increase access and improve how mental health care is delivered.

But there is also real risk. We’ve already seen cases where people turn to tools like ChatGPT or other AI systems for mental health support, even though those systems aren’t trained to manage clinical risk. There have been tragic outcomes, which underscores how important it is to approach this thoughtfully.

We are addressing the issue of AI and mental health across all our programs. What is ethical use of AI for our One Mind Rising Star Award researchers? How can we responsibly support companies that are creating AI-enabled interventions in our One Mind Accelerator? How do we bring best practices to this new world of work for the companies we work with through One Mind at Work. Workplaces are all grappling with what AI means for their industries and their workforces. Jobs will change. Some roles may disappear, and new ones will emerge. All of us will be working differently in the years ahead.

So from my perspective, AI brings enormous opportunity and enormous risk. Our future will be shaped by the choices we make now. We need to be intentional about building AI in ways that advance our shared aspirations: improving the human condition and strengthening people’s health and well-being. And if we see risks emerging, we have a responsibility to act in ways that reduce harm and optimize good outcomes.

When there is choice, there is risk. But there is also the possibility of getting it right.

Hutchison, NationSwell: What are some peer leaders out there that you admire, particularly leaders in roles at other organizations, or companies, or nonprofits whose work you hold in high esteem? Is there anybody else out there that we should be pointing a finger in the direction of as another great example of a human being or an organization?

Pike, OneMind: One organization that serves as a North Star for me is the Kennedy Forum, founded by Patrick J. Kennedy. I believe Patrick is the most important and effective national spokesperson on mental health today when it comes to advocacy, parity, and advancing solutions that matter for society as a whole. The organization’s CEO, Rebecca Bagley, is also an incredibly thoughtful, strategic, and compassionate leader who is helping carry that mission forward.

Patrick’s leadership was especially top of mind for me recently. This past Monday, he convened a major gathering at the National Press Club that brought together mental health leaders and policymakers. The event opened with an interview featuring his cousin, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Patrick and Secretary Kennedy have very little in common politically, and Patrick acknowledged that directly. As he closed his opening remarks, he said many people were probably wondering how he could stand on that stage and introduce someone whose political views he often disagrees with. But he explained that he was there because the Secretary will help shape the national agenda on mental health and addiction. And those issues matter to everyone. Patrick spoke about how both of them understand, through their own family experiences, what mental illness and addiction can do to individuals and families. He said, essentially, that they may sit in different political camps, but on this issue they share a mission.

For me, that moment captured something powerful. Patrick doesn’t just say that mental health is bipartisan, he treats it as a universal issue and leads accordingly. He’s willing to partner with people he may disagree with in other arenas because the mission matters more. One of my mentors used to say, “Keep your eye on the prize.” That’s exactly what Patrick is doing.

Because of that leadership, he and Rebecca and their team have helped drive real progress, including the Action for Progress on Mental Health and Substance Use — a framework that, if fully implemented, could have tremendous benefits for people across the country. I have enormous respect and admiration for Patrick’s ability to lead with that kind of focus and commitment.

Hutchison, NationSwell: What is the North Star of your leadership?

Pike, OneMind: I think about the North Star of my leadership as a three-legged stool of values: dignity, purpose, and joy.

As I make decisions about where to spend my energy, whether in my leadership, my social life, or my philanthropic work, those three values are the ones that guide me. I want to feel a sense of dignity, purpose, and joy in the way I engage in the world. If something lacks those things, if it doesn’t feel purposeful, if it doesn’t bring joy, or if there’s an indignity in it for myself or for others, then I know it’s not where I belong.

We live in a world with a frenetic energy that can pull people away from what they care about most. It’s easy to become disconnected, to drift from your center without even noticing it’s happened. But when we are intentional about keeping our values close, we actually have tremendous power to shape the world around us. It shows up in the decisions we make every single day, the small ones as much as the large ones.

So for me, dignity, purpose, and joy are not abstract ideals. They are the stars I use to navigate my leadership and to choose the work that is worthy of my time and energy.

Resiliency and Innovation in Philanthropy

Posted on March 20, 2026May 26, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

A year after sweeping federal funding cuts and mounting political pressure on equity- and justice-focused work, many funders are reexamining how to stay effective and principled in an increasingly constrained and polarized environment—while also stepping up to fill the void left by government withdrawal.

On March 17, NationSwell hosted a virtual Leader Roundtable dedicated to unearthing the future of resilient, adaptive philanthropy. Together, participants explored how funders are retooling their strategies, embracing new approaches to partnership and capital deployment, and designing innovative responses to ensure critical work continues—and flourishes—despite the headwinds.

Some of the most salient takeaways from the conversation appear below:

Key Takeaways:

Build resilience by expanding your role beyond grants.
Funders can use tools like loan guarantees, intermediary contracts, convenings, and data partnerships to unlock public dollars, de-risk capital projects, and move money more quickly to smaller and BIPOC-led organizations. This “beyond-the-grant” posture helps communities weather policy and funding shocks while preserving critical services.

Invest in leaders as people, not just as program drivers.
Sabbaticals, accelerators, and holistic leadership support shift leaders from surviving to stewarding long-term power. Funding wellness, reflection, and capacity functions as essential infrastructure for any durable ecosystem, not a luxury line item.

Move resources at the speed of community need.
Models like the Bridge Project’s direct cash to moms, rapid-response funds for immigrant communities, and crisis cash distributed through platforms such as GoFundMe show how trust-based, flexible capital can stabilize families and organizations in moments of acute disruption. Designing for speed, flexibility, and local decision-making allows philanthropy to meet the moment, not just the grant cycle.

Use data and narrative to protect civic infrastructure.
Tools like the Congressional District Health Dashboard and City Health Dashboard, paired with investigative and movement journalism, help communities see where systems are failing and where solutions are emerging. Revisiting philanthropic origin stories and aligning capital with equity, democracy, and community-defined priorities are critical to strengthening civic infrastructure.

Strengthen the ecosystem through relationships and matchmaking.
“Philanthropic matchmaking,” co-funding, and warm handoffs ensure that promising leaders and organizations can connect with the right capital, even when a single funder cannot meet a need. Transparent feedback, honest conversations about fit, and intentional network-building help great ideas secure flexible, multi-year support and reinforce that no one has to navigate this landscape alone.

Resiliency and Innovation in Nonprofit Leadership

Posted on March 11, 2026May 26, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

A year after federal funding cuts, the dismantling of USAID, and politicized targeting of organizations advancing equity and justice, many nonprofits have been forced to adapt—revisiting their models, rethinking partnerships, and finding new ways to sustain mission-critical work amid heightened uncertainty.

On March 10, NationSwell and fellow nonprofit leaders gathered virtually for an honest, forward-looking discussion on what resiliency and innovation look like now, exploring how organizations are evolving to protect their missions, secure new sources of support, and design fresh solutions to address the widening gaps in funding and services left in the wake of these shifts. Some of the most salient insights from that discussion appear below.

Key takeaways

Build resilience through financial contingencies and diversified resources. Leaders are strengthening their ability to navigate uncertainty by planning for multiple scenarios and expanding the range of resources that sustain their work. Diversified funding creates the flexibility organizations need to adapt while continuing to serve communities.

Utilize partnerships as investments in long-term capacity. Nonprofit leaders and funders emphasize the power of trust-based philanthropy and capacity-building investments. Partnerships rooted in flexibility, shared learning, and multi-year support enable organizations to strengthen their operations while responding more effectively to shifting contexts.

Anchor innovation in a clear value proposition. In a disruptive environment where resources are constrained and expectations continue to rise, organizations are sharpening their understanding of the value they deliver. Clarity around distinct roles, interventions, and offerings, enables the sector’s most impactful ideas to emerge through creative adaptation.

Listen closely to key constituents through ongoing discovery. Resilient organizations are deeply attuned to the needs of the people and partners who shape their work. By continuously engaging communities, participants, funders, and collaborators through conversation, feedback, and observation, organizations can ensure that programs remain aligned with evolving needs.

Leverage storytelling to connect mission with impact. Storytelling is a powerful tool for navigating complexity while keeping organizations grounded in the purpose of their work. By translating outcomes into compelling narratives, nonprofits clarify the role of their programs, strengthen their relevance, and communicate both the urgency of today’s challenges and the progress being made.

Create shared infrastructure that strengthens the ecosystem. Rather than working in isolation, organizations should explore ways to pool resources, knowledge, and operational capacity across partnerships. Shared infrastructure allows nonprofits to scale impact and reduce duplication across the sector.

Strengthen the ecosystem through collective resilience. In times of uncertainty, nonprofit leadership relies on networks of support that extend across organizations, funders, and communities to enable progress toward shared goals. The strength to navigate disruption grows from shared responsibility, trusted partnerships, and the belief that the work only moves forward together.

Q4 2025 Social Impact Trends

TREND REPORT

Posted on March 2, 2026June 1, 2026

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NationSwell’s quarterly trend spotter provides impact professionals with visibility into the most noteworthy, timely, and material shifts in the field. For Q4 of 2025, our report explores the following six trends:

Food security draws mainstream attention amid government shutdown
AI-driven layoffs hit tech and service industries, but overall employment impact remains modest
Philanthropies and nonprofits are investing more in AI, but governance needs to catch up
Political leaders continuing pressure on corporate leadership and civil society
Sustainability efforts continue, but more quietly and with less accountability

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Posted on February 15, 2026May 26, 2026

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How PepsiCo’s Food for Good is creating a blueprint for global food security

Food for Good — the PepsiCo Foundation initiative for advancing food security — launched in Dallas, Texas, as an exercise in deep listening. Through sustained conversations with trusted community volunteers and leaders, PepsiCo learned that the 19 million school-aged children in the U.S. who depend on free or reduced-price meals at school were facing critical gaps in access to nutritious food during the summer months, when school was not in session.

Beginning in the summer of 2009, PepsiCo leveraged its food production, logistics, and distribution expertise — as well as a partnership with Frito-Lay, the convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo, that allowed for borrowed access to trucks and warehouse space — to prototype a summer meal delivery model. The privately-funded program quickly expanded into new cities, eventually outgrowing its original facility but maintaining its original commitment to staying rooted in community feedback and mission to fight hunger through access and equity.

Food for Good combines large-scale meal distribution, job creation, targeted child nutrition, disaster relief, and impactful storytelling to distribute nutritious meals and address crisis-driven hunger at scale.

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How New York Life is scaling grief support through its agents and expertise

New York Life Foundation’s impact in the childhood bereavement space began more than a decade ago, sparked by a partnership with Comfort Zone Camp. What began as a pilot grant quickly evolved into a larger commitment, driven by the realization that this was a space where New York Life could lead. With a corporate mission to offer peace of mind and financial support, bereavement support is deeply aligned with New York Life’s purpose.

Motivated by the lack of reliable data and practical support tools, the Foundation launched a research partnership with Judi’s House to create the Children’s Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM) to understand where childhood grief was most concentrated. The Foundation also conducted surveys with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to learn about grief in the classroom. Among its learnings from the initial 2012 survey: over 90% of U.S. educators say childhood grief is a serious problem that deserves more attention from schools, but only 3% had received training on supporting students through their school district. Asked how many students typically need their support due to the loss of a loved one each school year, 87% of educators said at least one, and 25% said six or more.

In 2018, the Foundation launched the Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative (GSSI), enlisting New York Life’s national agent network to deliver grief education and resources directly to schools. As momentum grew, agents began asking: Can we take this to nonprofits and other youth-serving organizations in addition to schools? The model was expanded to youth-serving nonprofits through GSSI+.

In 2024, the Foundation expanded its bereavement support into workplaces. The Grief-Supportive Workplace Initiative was built around New York Life data that revealed a deep unmet need: although up to 20% of a given workforce might be grieving at one time, about 64% of employees report that their workplaces do not offer any bereavement support or training.

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Impact Next: An interview with Wellthy’s Lindsay Jurist-Rosner

Posted on December 10, 2025May 21, 2026 by Brianna Provenzano

In 2025, Impact Next — an editorial flagship series from NationSwell — is spotlighting the standard-bearing corporate social responsibility and impact leaders, entrepreneurs, experts, and philanthropists whose catalytic work has the potential to shape the landscape of progress amid urgent need for social and economic action.

For this installment, NationSwell interviewed Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, CEO of Wellthy. Here’s what she had to say:

Virginia Tenpenny, Chief Social Impact Officer, NationSwell: Tell us a little bit about what brought you into Wellthy — what galvanized the bold action you’re driving through the company?

Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, CEO, Wellthy: Wellthy was founded in 2014, and the idea came directly from my own caregiving journey with my mom. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when I was a kid — not the more common relapsing-remitting type, but the rarer, progressive form that causes a steady decline in mobility. Over the years, she gradually lost the ability to walk, then to use her arms, though she remained emotionally strong. She was my world, and caring for her shaped who I am.

After college, I moved home to take care of her while working full-time, which eventually led to burnout. When I finally moved out, I continued managing her care from afar, setting up systems, catching last-minute flights, handling the middle-of-the-night emergencies. In her final years, she was in hospice, and she passed away eight years ago.

That experience left me determined to make caregiving easier for other families. I kept thinking, if this was so hard for me — with every possible advantage — how do others do it? I started talking to families and realized how universal the struggle is. The healthcare system does a great job treating medical conditions but offers almost no support for the day-to-day realities of care. Families shoulder 90% of long-term care in this country, often at the expense of their own well-being.

Wellthy was born out of that realization — a desire to build the infrastructure and support I wish my family had. And honestly, that caregiving hasn’t stopped. After my mom passed, I helped care for my grandfather and mother-in-law — both of whom have since passed. I got married, had a child, and now navigate childcare in a blended family. Care is just part of my life from every direction, which keeps me close to our work at Wellthy. I’m not just leading the company — I’m also one of our customers. And living through these different chapters has shown me what so many families experience every day: care rarely fits into neat categories. It spans generations, moments of joy and loss, and every kind of need. That’s why Wellthy has evolved into a true birth-through-bereavement service, because families don’t live in siloes, and their care support shouldn’t either.

Tenpenny, NationSwell: In the 11 years you’ve been at Wellthy, what are some of the bright spots? What’s the moment that you find yourself in right now in terms of the progress that you’ve made and your ambition going forward?

Jurist-Rosner, Wellthy: I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built — it’s been the most gratifying 11 years. We get to change people’s lives every day. Families tell us we “saved the day,” that their care coordinator was their angel; there’s nothing better than that.

Our original hypothesis was simple: if we could unburden families from the administrative and logistical chaos of caregiving, we could free them up to focus on what really matters: being present with their loved ones. That idea led us to pair every family with a dedicated care coordinator, much like a financial advisor, who helps them navigate complex care decisions. Most of our coordinators are social workers by training — an incredible, underutilized talent pool we’ve been able to elevate and empower.

We use technology to help those care teams work at the top of their degree and deliver a consistent, high-quality experience for families, now on a global scale. Wellthy partners with companies of all sizes that offer our services as an employee benefit, helping their teams balance work and care. We’ve also expanded into backup care and, most recently, acquired Patch — founded by two incredible women — whose team provides on-site and near-site childcare for frontline workforces.

At the end of the day, everything we do comes back to the same question: where are the gaps in care, and how can we step in to solve them?

Tenpenny, NationSwell: This is clearly an ongoing issue and gap in our society — how do you evolve Wellthy in order to make sure you’re meeting the needs on the ground?

Jurist-Rosner, Wellthy: We’re constantly evolving. One of our biggest pushes in the last two years has been building a better backup care program. Traditional providers like Bright Horizons and Care.com have been around for decades, but clients kept telling us they wanted something different. So we built our own from the ground up, including a full fintech system to process payments and an entirely new network of backup care providers offering drop-in care.

Global expansion has been another major focus. Many of our U.S. clients wanted to extend Wealthy’s services to their colleagues abroad, so we went market by market, country by country, studying healthcare, childcare, and eldercare systems to understand where we could add value. In late 2026, we launched with Cisco across 95 countries, building truly global caregiving support.

We’ve also been exploring the intersection of care and climate. When natural disasters strike — including wildfires, floods, hurricanes — we step in to support employees who can’t get to work or safely care for loved ones. After major storms in Houston, for example, we worked with Memorial Hermann Hospital to source generators and provide financial and logistical support for affected staff.

Our latest expansion is through our acquisition of Patch, an incredibly innovative company founded by two women who created on-site and near-site childcare for frontline and in-person workforces. They operate centers in places like UPS sorting facilities, hospital campuses, and manufacturing lines — high-intensity environments where flexible, affordable childcare can literally change lives. I met a worker at one of their sites who, because of a Patch room, was able to keep her job and care for her two-year-old after her husband was incarcerated.

Patch represents the future of childcare: nimble, accessible, and life-changing. Our next big focus is scaling that model: getting more Patch rooms in more places to support more families.

Tenpenny, NationSwell: As you think about the demands that you face as a CEO of this fast-growing company and all the demands outside of the job, how do you take care of yourself and also lead effectively?

Jurist-Rosner, Wellthy: I don’t know that there’s a silver bullet; every day looks different. I’m actually training for the New York City Marathon right now, which might qualify as either self-care or self-torture, depending on the day. But over time, I’ve found a rhythm that works.

The real key, though, is partnership. My husband and I both have demanding jobs — he’s the CEO of a public company — and we make it work through constant communication and trade-offs. We’re really respectful of each other’s ambitions and commitments. If I have to travel or go to an event, he’ll adjust, and vice versa. We make sure we both get time for self-care, time with our kids, and time to focus on our work.

As for the personal side, I’ve just gotten better about the basics — prioritizing workouts, eating well, drinking less — all the things we all try to do. There’s no magic formula, but I’m always working on doing a little better each day.

Tenpenny, NationSwell: What is the North Star for your leadership style that makes you most effective?

Jurist-Rosner, Wellthy: Honestly, I think I have it easier than a lot of leaders because we’re a mission-driven company. We naturally attract people who are deeply connected to what we do, so the culture and my leadership style evolve pretty organically. I imagine it’s harder in more traditional organizations, where you have to work harder to manufacture that sense of purpose.

Our focus is always on reminding the team of the impact they’re having. The work can be intense, but the outcomes are so real. We make that visible every day — sharing real-time member feedback in Slack, highlighting family testimonials during our monthly “All Hearts” meetings, and playing videos that bring our members’ voices directly to the team. It keeps everyone connected to why we do this work.

At the end of the day, that mission is the fuel. It makes the tough days easier and the culture stronger.

Tenpenny, NationSwell: What are the trends you’re seeing right now that are giving you hope?

Jurist-Rosner, Wellthy: I feel a lot of hope right now. In the early days of Wellthy, no one was really talking about caregiving — it just wasn’t on the radar. Now, it’s incredible to see how much that’s changed. Companies are thinking holistically about how to support their employees, not just through us but through broader policies, programs, and benefits. We work with dozens of large employers, and it’s inspiring to have a front-row seat to the way they’re building truly people-centered workplaces.

I’ve also been doing work in D.C. with the Bipartisan Policy Center, helping to make recommendations around the federal role in childcare. That’s been energizing, especially seeing recent progress in Congress, like the expansion of tax credits that will make a real difference for families.

It’s also the case that backup care needs a new era, and at Wellthy we see ourselves as part of that shift. So many organizations have had the same backup care benefit in place for years, sometimes decades, and now they’re taking a fresh look. We’re getting the chance to show them a program built for the modern and diverse realities of family life, one that tackles the pain points HR teams have wrestled with for so long. There’s real momentum right now — whether in companies putting their programs back out to bid or simply in the number of HR leaders who want to talk about what it looks like for backup care to truly work for both employees and employers.

And finally, I’m so inspired by what I see on business school campuses. Wellthy is now taught as a case study at Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB, and every time I visit, I’m struck by how aware and motivated these students are. A few years ago, no one even used the term “care economy.” Now, it’s part of the conversation — and students want to invest, build, and innovate in this space. The class at HBS that used to be a small seminar on social entrepreneurship and systems change now fills the largest lecture halls. That level of energy and purpose in the next generation gives me so much hope for what’s ahead.

Tenpenny, NationSwell: As you think about the socially motivated leaders that you consider your peers, are there two or three whose work has really inspired you and who you hold in high esteem?

Jurist-Rosner, Wellthy: I’m very inspired by my husband. His leadership style is completely different from mine — he’s patient, measured, deliberate, and thoughtful, while I tend to be more reactive. I love learning from him and observing how he leads; he’s an incredible leader and does an amazing job at his company.

Before starting Wellthy, my mentor was Dave Morgan, who led the marketing tech company where I worked. Watching his leadership was hugely motivational. But honestly, I find inspiration everywhere — there are so many people whose approach to leading, thinking, and showing up continues to push me to grow.

Tenpenny, NationSwell: Are there any books, podcasts, or other resources that you’d recommend? What’s been your source of inspiration or influence lately?

Jurist-Rosner, Wellthy: Right now, I’m listening to David Goggins’ book while training for the marathon — his story is incredible and definitely keeps me motivated during the long runs. I’m also a big fan of the Acquired and Science Vs podcasts; they’re great for learning how companies and leaders got their start and for diving into complex topics in a really engaging way.

Since I’m running so much, I’ve been consuming a lot of content lately. I’m reading Genesis by Henry Kissinger on AI, which has been fascinating, and recently revisited Ezra Klein’s book, Abundance. There’s no shortage of inspiration out there — I’m just trying to take it all in mile by mile.