New CECP and E4E Relief Report: 95% of Employees Who Receive Emergency Financial Relief Report Improved Well-Being
Research finds relief grants boost retention and stability, but limited employee awareness remains the top barrier
NEW YORK, October 1, 2026 /3BL/ – Emergency Financial Relief grants deliver measurable returns for employees and employers alike, according to a new issue brief from Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose® (CECP) and E4E Relief. Resilience When It Matters Most: Emergency Financial Relief as a Workforce Lifeline and Strategic Investment makes the business case for relief grants as disasters and financial shocks hit workers more often.
Grant recipients report:
- 95% improved overall well-being
- 85% regained financial stability
- 85% increased desire to stay with their employer
- 79% feel more positively about their employer
“Emergency Financial Relief is a strategic investment in employee engagement and retention,” said Leah Battin, Manager, Strategic Advisory, CECP. “When a crisis hits, companies that show up for their people build loyalty that lasts.”
Rising risk, growing need
In 2025, the U.S. averaged one-billion-dollar disaster every 10 days. Financial stress is widespread even without disasters: 59% of U.S. employees are stressed about money, and 56% say it hurts their productivity at work. For someone earning under $50,000, a single $1,000 expense exceeds a week’s pay.
Financial Relief reaches those who need it most
Eighty-four percent of E4E Relief’s U.S. grants reach at least one financially vulnerable population. The average U.S. award of $1,300 covers roughly seven days’ pay for a household earning under $50,000.
The awareness gap
Programs only work if employees use them. Limited employee awareness is the top barrier to uptake, cited by 62% of corporate citizenship leaders and 50% of HR leaders.
“An employee financial relief program that isn’t consistently promoted internally has limited reach,” said Ashley Wilson Oster, VP and Director, Marketing & Partnerships, E4E Relief. “Companies that communicate early and often see the strongest outcomes for their people and their business.”
Join CECP and E4E Relief on Tuesday, October 27 at 1:00PM ET for a live webinar on how companies can close the awareness gap and get relief to the employees who need it most. During this webinar, leaders from CECP and E4E Relief will highlight key findings from the report and discuss how direct grants to individuals empower people to move from financial crisis to stability. Attendees will hear real-world insights on the growing financial pressures facing workers, how companies are responding, and the impact these programs can have on employees and organizations alike. Register here.
CECP Media Contact
Katie Leasor-Erwin
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About Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP)
Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose® (CECP) is the only nonpartisan business counsel and network dedicated to driving measurable returns on purpose. We promote responsible purpose-driven business as it increases customer loyalty, builds employee engagement, improves brand trust, attracts top talent, connects with strategic investors, and contributes to the bottom line.
More than 200 of the world’s leading companies seek to improve their return on purpose through access to CECP’s solutions in insights and benchmarking. With our companies, we harness the power of purpose for business, stakeholders, and society.
For more information, visit https://cecp.org
About E4E Relief
E4E Relief became the first social enterprise provider of charitable Emergency Financial Relief programs on behalf of corporations, emerging after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Since inception, E4E Relief has been rapidly responding to individuals impacted by disasters and hardships globally for 25 years. Its programs are compassion-led, technology-forward and trusted at scale, and its groundbreaking ImpactStack® survey-based grantee metrics tool provides corporate partners with critical business and social outcomes data. E4E Relief, a 2026 Great Place To Work® Certified™ organization, has awarded $424M in financial relief and received $638M in charitable contributions.