Co-Founder and CEO, Frontdoor Benefits
Charlotte Weiner and her cofounder Ben Sheldon launched Frontdoor Benefits in 2024. Their goal: to turn dead ends into front doors for public benefits access, so low-income Americans can easily access over $100B in unclaimed safety net benefits each year.
Tell us about Frontdoor Benefits’ core objectives around safety net innovation. Why do billions in safety net benefits go unclaimed every year?
When we think about why so many benefits go unclaimed, we think about a funnel from awareness to applying and retaining benefits. Once you know that a benefit like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) exists, you have to figure out whether you’re eligible first. From there, folks might wonder if it’s even worth it to apply, given the time and energy it takes to access benefits, or other factors like stigma. Once you decide to apply, you need to make it through the application process and get enrolled successfully, and then, down the road, navigate burdensome renewal and recertification processes.Â
For instance, we hear stories all the time of families cut off from benefits because they miss renewal paperwork after the paperwork was mailed to an apartment that the family has since moved out of. In all, it makes sense that billions of dollars in benefits go unclaimed every year. The status quo makes it incredibly hard to navigate getting enrolled and staying enrolled in public benefits.
How is Frontdoor Benefits tackling these challenges?
We partner with players like grocery stores and health plans to transform how families access public benefits. We build simple, mobile-friendly applications and then support people through every step of the process, from application to enrollment. Our first product is a simplified SNAP application. The application takes less than 10 minutes to complete, connects directly to existing government systems, and can be used on a mobile phone. In parallel, we drive value for grocery stores by providing an incredibly high-value service to SNAP/EBT customers and putting more money in the pockets of 40M+ shoppers.
Why did you choose Connecticut as your first market?
I worked as a Fellow in the Connecticut Governor’s Office coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. I loved my work in state government, where I supported the leadership of the Department of Social Services on safety net modernization. I went to Stanford to get my MBA and build Frontdoor Benefits. We knew that we wanted to launch in Connecticut first. We’ll expand across states over time and build a system that helps every single low-income American apply for and access the benefits they’re eligible for.
How have private sector investors responded to your approach?
The response has been exciting. Folks are thrilled that we’re introducing a new model for building, funding, and scaling work in the benefits access space.
Can you share a Frontdoor Benefits success story?
This spring, a single parent in Norwalk applied for SNAP with Frontdoor Benefits. She’d tried to apply earlier in the spring but was denied despite being eligible, for an avoidable procedural reason. We helped her get enrolled, and I’ll never forget her reaction. She described the financial burden that receiving SNAP benefits each month will lift for her family, and she also realized that SNAP entitles her to $3 tickets to the Norwalk Aquarium. This client was able to bring her son to the aquarium right after they got enrolled—he’d always dreamed about going, but they hadn’t been able to afford full-price tickets. The client sent our team beautiful photos from the aquarium. Those photos remind me why we do the work.
What inspired you to found Frontdoor Benefits?
I grew up outside Boston and studied Ethics, Politics, and Economics at Yale University. After graduating, I spent a year working at a wonderful organization serving rural, low-income farmworker communities in the Central Valley in California. I worked alongside a lot of folks who were eligible for public benefits like Medicaid, SNAP, or cash assistance, but weren’t enrolled. That was the year that I realized that this is the space that I want to work in. Since then, I’ve worked in the space across the public, private, and social sectors.Â
How did you connect with your cofounder, Ben Sheldon?
One of the inspirations for our work is Code for America, which is an incredible civic tech nonprofit. One of Code for America’s most well-known initiatives is GetCalFresh, which is a simplified application for SNAP in California that helped more than 7 million people apply for SNAP. Ben is an amazing engineer from the GetCalFresh team, and I got to know him through friends and colleagues at Code for America. It was clear from the start that he’d be an incredible cofounder.
Which CANOPY location did you choose as the base for Frontdoor Benefits?
We joined in April 2025 and have a Dedicated Desk Membership at Jackson Square. Ben lives close to this office, so it’s very convenient, and it’s lovely to work in such a beautiful space. It’s also wonderful to have outdoor space!
What’s one thing—either industry-related or not—you learned in the last month?
I’ve been learning all about the history of the wildlife sanctuary at Lake Merritt, which is close to where I live in Oakland. I love that Lake Merritt is America’s first wildlife refuge. I enjoy going for runs there—it’s a beautiful place.
Do you have a favorite podcast?
The Daily. It’s great for staying on top of the news.
What’s your greatest source of inspiration?
My parents. My mom works in nonprofit education, and my dad is a doctor. They shaped my passion for doing good work that makes the world a better place.
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