March 31, 2025

Field Catalysts: Behind the Scenes of Systems Change

Research by The Bridgespan Group has found that field catalysts are an often overlooked lever for unlocking large-scale impact. These organizations go by a number of different names—including systems orchestrators, ecosystem builders, network weavers, and backbones—and they have made significant contributions to systems change around the globe. Developed by Student Experience Research Network in conjunction with Bridgespan, this set of materials includes a short overview of what field catalysts do as well as case studies of four field catalyst organizations.


Field Catalysts: Behind the Scenes of Systems Change (two-page overview)

Explore the case studies:

Power to Decide
Contributed to a 72% decline in birth rates among teens ages 15-19 in the United States between 1991 and 2018.

Student Experience Research Network (SERN)
Coalesced the field of student experience and supported the integration of research-based knowledge into education practice, policy, and philanthropy.

Roll Back Malaria Partnership
Contributed to cutting malaria deaths by more than half since 2000, saving 10 million lives.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Contributed to an 84% decrease in youth smoking and a 45% decrease in adult smoking in the United States since 1996.

Watch the video


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