Programmes and Calls

Since 2015, the foundation has been running this programme to support non-profit organisations on local social projects that enhance the quality of life of vulnerable or at risk individuals. 

Santander Ayuda makes four calls for submissions every year focusing on two areas of action: poverty and social exclusion and disability, health and ageing. In the course of the year 80 projects are selected and endowed with a total of 400,000 euros. The selection committee assesses the submissions received according to criteria such as their technical quality, their social impact, their level of innovation or their sustainability, among others.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, priority is being given to those proposals dedicated to alleviating its impact on the vulnerable groups that are the subject of each call. 

Some 10,582 people benefited from the programme in 2021. Of the 80 projects selected, 40 aimed to fight against poverty and social exclusion and 40 were dedicated to the care of disabled, elderly and severely ill people.

Moreover, a special edition was launched on 22 December, which in 2022 will allocate a total of 150,000 euros to support the victims of the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma.

Fundación Banco Santander began this programme in 2019 to promote the digitalisation of social organisations with a view to increasing the impact and effectiveness of their actions.

Santander Social Tech comprises three phases: training, advice and financial aid.

In a first call, the foundation selects those organisations with low to average level of digitalisation and offers them free online training to help them acquire digital skills and competences. After this initial training, for two months they can take advantage of a customised virtual advice service to allow them to adapt what they have learned to their particular digital transformation needs.

Organisations that have taken part in this training phase can also opt to enter a second call for financial aid of up to 5,000 euros to enhance their digitalisation.

In 2021, 14 Santander Social Tech workshops were held, at which 149 organisations received training. Of these, 81 received advice with 54 benefiting from aid amounting to a total of 252,504 euros.

Fundación Banco Santander created its first development cooperation programme in 2020. The programme seeks to contribute to social and economic development in Africa by supporting female entrepreneurs and their local environment in the tourism sector, which has been seriously affected by the coronavirus crisis.

Santander BEST Africa promotes a sustainable tourism network in Gambia, Senegal and Morocco based on technical and financial assistance for business initiatives that promote women’s employment, and contribute to environmental preservation and inclusive community development.

During the pandemic, the programme sought to ensure the continuity of businesses and encourage training, the sharing of experiences and shared learning among women entrepreneurs. In the near future, health conditions permitting, the programme will focus on boosting the economic sustainability of its activities and will be implemented in other African countries. 

In 2021, Santander BEST Africa supported 17 projects that generate income, maintain jobs and enhance the professional skills of over 500 people, the majority of whom are women in vulnerable situations.

The foundation set up this programme back in 2014 to create quality employment for young people with training in contemporary culture and to drive sustainable growth in cultural sector companies. Over the last two years, Santander Emplea Cultura has been helping to strengthen this sector, which has been badly impacted by the pandemic.

Every year two consecutive calls are made, the first aimed at organisations that need to cover a vacancy and the second for candidates that seek to fill those vacancies.

A committee comprising professionals in the cultural sector select ten organisations every year whose activity revolves around visual art, the performing arts, cultural mediation and management or communicative and participatory art. In an initial phase, candidate applications are assessed by a human resources consultant, with the organisations themselves making the final choice of those that are best suited to fill the vacancy.

Each beneficiary organisation receives 18,000 euros, which must be fully allocated to the annual salary of the successful candidate. Moreover, up to five organisations can obtain an additional contribution of 10,000 euros to help keep the employee for a second year.

The foundation also organises training sessions and events so that both professionals and organisations can create a work network, share experiences and suggest programme improvements.

Its 8^th edition was opened in November 2021 to which 113 cultural organisations submitted applications. The call for professionals and the onboarding of the ten selected candidates into the organisations will take place in 2022.