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You at Heart: The Canary Mission

June 8, 2015

In light of recent controversy surrounding the distribution of funding for a handful of cancer foundations, we at the Canary Foundation feel compelled to reiterate our responsibility and foundational credo.

The Canary Foundation was founded with one ultimate goal in mind: to establish safer, more accurate, and more cost effective ways of diagnosing cancer early. This objective purpose is what wakes us up in the morning, roasts our coffee, rolls up our sleeves, and puts our heads down to work. We are a small team of dedicated people with the spirit of a scrappy startup, but the prowess of non-profit industry veterans. We empathize, first hand, with the tragedies of cancer, as well as with the fortitude that comes from overcoming it. We know that every dollar, dime, and nickel we receive was raised by hard-working individuals who put in good faith that their financial efforts are going towards a cause that is bigger than themselves. We believe that as an established cancer foundation, it is not what we say, but what we do that should earn the hope and trust of the community. We recognize and acknowledge this, praise and honor it. That is why we strive towards earning your respect by accomplishing our goals in the most responsible ways possible.

info-approach-02Since our inception in 2004, the Canary Foundation has been dedicated to a policy of honest transparency. Each year we publish an independently audited report of our financial records to illustrate exactly what our donations are funding: scientific research. And if you ask us, the science doesn’t lie. Cancer mortality rates have declined in the past 20 years with only 5% of invested dollars going towards early cancer detection. Imagine what a bigger investment could do? That’s where we come in.

The Canary Foundation is disrupting the current model of dollars invested to revolutionize the outcomes and save lives. We can’t take credit for this alone, however. With our partnerships and collaborations with Stanford Medicine and the Canary Center at Stanford, we have developed new imaging technology and biomarker identification methods which have enabled science to peer into cells, tissue, and tumors in ways never before possible. info-about-canary-02Canary funds small, short-term discovery projects for new ideas and technologies, and uses pilot data to gain an edge with government grants. Additionally, Canary funds larger, multi-disciplinary teams and clinical programs covering tumors across five cancer types: breast, lung, ovarian, pancreas, and prostate. With the ultimate goal of bringing new innovative diagnostics to patients, we are proud to say that this has already begun in high-risk clinics nationally.

CanaryChallenge_1Furthermore, our largest fundraising event, the Canary Challenge, ensures that 100% of all
funds raised by participants gets distributed among our programs at the Canary Center at Stanford. That’s right: 100%. We underwrite the majority of our operations costs through sponsorships, volunteers and the Founder’s Fund to ensure that every penny is being used for early detection research.

Fraudulent cancer foundations break our hearts as much as anyone else’s, but it is perseverance through adversity that defines us at Canary, which is what prides us in the work we have accomplished thus far. Although we have many steps to take towards our fundamental goal, it is an optimistic vision no less, that fuels our mission along the way. To all of our donors, volunteers, scientists, readers, and supporters, thank you, and best wishes as we continue with our work moving forward.

Sincerely,

The Canary Team