Our Mission
Canary Impact invests in justice-involved people through direct funding, fostering leadership, and encouraging agency.
Why We Exist
Philanthropy often awards grants to organizations with a significant amount of distance between them and the causes they support. Using our unique perspectives as justice-involved people, we aim to improve the connection between philanthropy and the communities they serve.
Our theory of change is that when philanthropy provides low-threshold catalytic investments to formerly incarcerated people, it allows them the space to learn, grow, and make mistakes. We believe this will lead to new problem solvers and innovative ideas in the justice reform ecosystem.
Theory of Change
Trust is at the core of our values, signifying our belief in the importance of reliability, honesty, and integrity. We strive to build and maintain trust with our applicants and prize winners, because it is the foundation of strong relationships and successful collaborations.
Trust
Innovation is a fundamental value that drives us to continually seek formerly incarcerated people with creative solutions, who push boundaries, and who adapt to changing circumstances. We embrace new ideas, approaches, and technologies to challenge and transform the criminal legal system.
Innovation
We value grace as it embodies the quality of treating others with kindness, respect, and compassion, even in challenging situations. It reflects our commitment to supporting people who are traditionally marginalized from philanthropic opportunities.
Grace
