Chris Tuttle, CEO of Bridgewell, was leading a merger with Brockton-based BAMSI.

Peter Evers, the head of BAMSI.

A merger between two of the largest human services nonprofits in the state has fallen through.

A deal to merge Peabody-based Bridgewell and Brockton-based BAMSI was ended following what was described as an extensive review process by the nonprofits.

Bridgewell terminated the letter of intent this summer, deciding that a merger with BAMSI is “not in the best interest of the organization and those it serves,” according to Chris Tuttle, Bridgewell’s president and CEO.

A spokesperson for BAMSI told the Business Journal that clients and employees were informed that the merger would not move forward. The deal was expected to close over the summer.

“BAMSI remains a robust and thriving organization with solid funding and excellent partnerships whose focus is delivering high-quality services to individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs,” a spokesperson for BAMSI said.

Beyond those official statements, neither leaders at the nonprofits nor multiple board members and staff reached by the Business Journal would comment on reasons for the failure of the merger deal.

In a message to the Bridgewell community dated Aug. 27, Tuttle explained there would be no change to the Bridgewell organization or how its services are delivered.

“We initially felt that the merger would give us the opportunity to take our successful approach and adapt it to a larger population. Mergers go through an extensive review process to analyze the potential fit, and we reached the conclusion that this merger simply would not be in the best interest of our organization and our community,” Tuttle said.

The nonprofits are two of the largest in the state with a combined $146 million in assets, including more than a hundred group homes, multiple clinics and day rehabilitation programs for individuals with disabilities. Taken together, the nonprofits’ combined assets would have made them the 36th-largest nonprofit in the state.

BAMSI currently employs around 2,000 people and Bridgewell employs approximately 1,300.

Tuttle and Peter Evers, the head of BAMSI, previously had said they were confident the board approvals scheduled for August would go through and that the merger would come to fruition by the end of the summer.

Combining agencies made sense financially and morally to the CEOs, previously saying that together, the nonprofits could combine their power to have a “stronger infrastructure” between the two organizations headquartered more than 50 miles apart, Tuttle said.

BAMSI and Bridgewell had been slowly integrating the nonprofits throughout 2026 before the merger failed. No staff reductions were planned for the merger.