Santander Donates More Than $3.3 Million In New Charitable Giving To 118 Non-Profit Organizations

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