BOSTON, Dec. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Santander Bank
today announced that it has awarded more than $3.3 million to 118 non-profit organizations
throughout the Bank's Northeastern footprint in its third and final
round of charitable grants funding for 2016. Of that total, more
than $1.2 million has been awarded to
programs that directly support economic and small business
development in underserved communities.
"Santander remains steadfastly committed to the cities and towns
where we live and work. One of the many ways we demonstrate
that commitment is by supporting programs that help diversify local
economies and empower small businesses," said Jerry Plush, Chief Administrative Officer for
Santander US. "When communities and business owners thrive, we
thrive and giving to these exceptional organizations is Santander's
way of recognizing our responsibility to help strengthen the
communities we serve."
In 2016, Santander donated nearly $10
million in charitable grants to 259 organizations throughout
the Bank's footprint. Santander awards grants three times a year
through the Santander Bank Charitable Contributions Program, the
Bank's philanthropic arm that invests in programs serving
low-income individuals and communities. Donations from Santander's
final 2016 grant cycle provide support to organizations that
advocate for and spur economic and small business development,
financial education, affordable housing, community services and
neighborhood revitalization in economically challenged areas.
The Bank's largest award recipients in this grant cycle
include:
- Boston Tax Help Coalition - $200,000 to support the Coalition's comprehensive
wealth building strategy for low-income residents, including
providing credit building and financial education in communities
throughout Boston.
- Habitat for Humanity - $100,000 to help fund the construction of Habitat
homes for low-income families in Boston and Philadelphia.
- Commonwealth Kitchen - $100,000 to support Greater Boston's only non-profit food business
incubator and food manufacturing social enterprise.
Commonwealth Kitchen provides fully-equipped commercial
kitchens and integrated business assistance to aspiring
entrepreneurs.
Over the course of this year Santander team members also
continued to help communities thrive. More than 2,000 colleagues
were trained as financial educators and devoted almost 14,000
volunteer hours teaching money management and other financial
skills to students and adults so they are prepared to make good
financial decisions.
As part of Santander's ongoing commitment to promoting financial
education, the Bank launched a new website this year for
participants of the Santander Financial Education Program where
they can access additional courses and secure online tools to help
them set personal financial goals, create savings plans and track
progress.
Non-profit organizations interested in applying for a grant can
access Santander's grant application guidelines by visiting the
Santander Charitable Contributions Program or sending questions to
santandercharitablecont@santander.us. Applications for 2017 grants
are due in February, June and September and will be awarded in May,
August and November, respectively.
Santander Bank, N.A. is
one of the country's top retail and commercial banks by deposits
and a wholly owned subsidiary of Banco Santander, S.A. - one of the
most respected banking groups in the world. With its corporate
offices in Boston, Santander Bank's more than 670 branches and
nearly 2,100 ATMs are principally located in Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Connecticut,
Rhode Island, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania and
Delaware. The Bank's 9,400
employees are committed to helping our 2.1 million customers make
progress toward their financial goals with the support of our call
centers, interactive online banking platform and easy-to-use mobile
app. Madrid-based Banco Santander
(NYSE: SAN) serves more than 117 million customers in the U.K.,
Europe, Latin America and the U.S. Through its local
affiliates, including Santander
Bank, Banco Santander is the largest corporate contributor
to higher education in the world, investing over $165 million annually in colleges and
universities across more than 20 countries, including the U.S. For
more information on Santander Bank,
please visit www.santanderbank.com.
Media
Contacts:
Ann
Davis
617-757-5891
ann.davis@santander.us
Nancy Orlando
617-757-5765
nancy.orlando@santander.us
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SOURCE Santander Bank