The right money at the right time matters. That’s the foundational idea behind Canary, a platform that enables employers to offer emergency relief funds that workers can access during financial crises.

As households today face persistent income volatility and expense spikes, achieving and maintaining financial stability has become increasingly difficult. A broken-down car, a medical event, or a gap in employment can quickly trigger cascading financial consequences. When workers are struggling financially, the effects also spill over into workplaces through lower productivity, engagement, and retention. Yet most traditional workplace benefits—like retirement plans or savings programs—are designed for long-term planning, not immediate liquidity needs. 

For Canary founder and CEO Rachel Schneider, cash flow volatility has been a consistent focus throughout her career. An alumna of the Financial Health Network, Schneider led the launch and development of the U.S. Financial Diaries, an intimate look at the financial lives of 235 low- and moderate-income families across the country. Schneider observed that lifelines for families often didn’t come from institutional systems, but from informal ones. A crowdsourced fundraising campaign or a single contribution from a mutual friend, for instance, could make the difference between a family keeping or losing their home. 

These insights paved the way for Canary. Schneider recognized that modest, timely infusions of cash—especially when pooled across socioeconomic lines—could have an outsized impact on financial well-being. With support from the Financial Health Network’s Financial Solutions Lab, she built Canary to bring that capability to the workplace, giving employers the infrastructure to deliver rapid, targeted support when workers need it the most.

Grounded in a deep understanding of liquidity challenges, Canary launched Grant Circle, a nimble and responsive emergency relief fund solution designed to meet the financial needs of today’s workforce.

Through the platform, employers and employees alike can contribute to a shared fund. When workers experience an IRS-qualifying financial hardship, such as a medical expense, housing interruption, or unexpected loss of income, they can apply for a grant. Designed to serve employers of all sizes, Grant Circle is particularly impactful for workforces with a high share of hourly or Financially Vulnerable employees. 

Canary manages the entire process—from program design and legal structure to applications, grant decisions, and measurement—so employers can offer meaningful financial support while maintaining employee privacy. In addition to partnering with organizations spanning manufacturing, retail, healthcare, hospitality, and financial services, Canary has also expanded to support community foundations, private equity firms, and philanthropic donors in delivering emergency relief payments to their communities.

In the early days, the Canary team faced skepticism. Many assumed that employers would be reluctant to fund direct cash assistance for their workforce. Yet the opposite proved true: When presented with the right infrastructure to deliver meaningful support, employers were receptive to contributing money, building a fund, and investing in having it managed well. 

Leaders also began to see investments in employee financial health as an investment in organizational sustainability. When workers are Financially Healthy, engagement and retention improve while absenteeism decreases. Financial Health Network research shows that 78% of employees with high financial stress say it impacts them at work, while fewer than one-third of workers have access to benefits that help them with critical financial needs. Investing in worker financial health also strengthens trust: 93% of Canary grant recipients reported feeling better about their employer after receiving a grant.