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Serving Veterans: A new podcast on the latest developments of veteran care in America

This fall, the Network for Nonprofit and Social Impact (NNSI) at Northwestern University is launching Serving Veterans, a new podcast series that explores the veteran service landscape and the latest technologies being implemented to better serve them. Drawing from thoughtful conversations with leaders from the Department of Veterans Affairs, nonprofit institutions, and NNSI’s own researchers, Serving Veterans offers insights and the latest updates on the industry you won’t find anywhere

#VeteranCareSeries: Military Transition & Co-Occurring Needs

Approximately 200,000 Americans leave active duty every year and begin the uneasy transition into civilian life. This shift into a familiar yet vastly different world naturally comes with several challenges, but the bigger problem is that these challenges rarely occur one at a time. Veterans frequently face overlapping difficulties in work, health, housing, and relationships—what experts call co-occurring needs. For example, an ongoing health condition can make it harder to

The Five Pillars of Social Care Infrastructure

We often think of infrastructure as physical structures that keep a society running, like highways, railways, and water pipes. However, some of the most vital systems in our lives are less noticeable. The system that connects people in need with the support they qualify for, we call this social infrastructure: Social infrastructure = systems that organize and manage complex health and human service referral systems, eligibility criteria, and financial compensation

Designing Better Health & Human Services Networks

Key Takeaways from NNSI’s June 2025 Convening in Chicago

What We Learned from Listening to People Seeking Help in America

Each year, nearly half of Americans across the nation experience material hardship—food insecurity, housing instability, or a lack of access to healthcare. Yet only a fraction of those in need ever receive help from social service agencies. What accounts for this gap? Researchers at the Northwestern Network for Social Impact (NNSI) set out to investigate by listening directly to individuals’ experiences with seeking help in America. By centering on the

Understanding How Social Impact Networks Collaborate: Three Toolkits That Light the Way

By Matilda Le Collaboration is at the heart of solving today’s most pressing social challenges – but effective collaboration doesn’t happen by accident. Here at NNSI, we are working in collaboration with researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago to better understand how social impact networks design their activities and drive lasting impact. Social impact networks are defined as groups of organizations that come together around a shared purpose,