All of our funding must directly help disadvantaged people through one or both of these charitable priorities - education and training, or financial capability.
Education and training
This could be any activity disadvantaged people undertake where they improve their confidence in a skill or their understanding of a subject. This does not have to be formal training or lead to a qualification, although those activities would be eligible too.
Examples could include independent living skills, anger management, or improving self esteem. Other examples could include reminiscence projects for older people, art and craft sessions as well as IT classes. These are just a few examples and should not be regarded as a definitive list.
Financial capability
This priority covers activities which help disadvantaged people understand how to manage their money. It could include budgeting skills, accessing affordable credit as well as managing the challenges that arise from being a carer, unemployment, disability or relationship break up.
Examples could be the costs of running a credit union, projects delivering financial advice and helping people to understand their benefit entitlement. Successful applications under this priority have included equipping a training kitchen for homeless people who learnt how to budget effectively for their food and then went on to apply these principals to other parts of their lives.
What kind of funding is available from the Foundation?
All funding is for one off donations. We do not offer multi-year funding.
Grants are available to buy tangible items such as equipment or training materials.
Grants are also available to fund project costs such as sessional worker fees, salaries, room hire or other costs incurred in the delivery of the charitable priorities.
The Spotlight section has been updated to include an interview with the Foundation Manager, Alan Eagle.
Who can apply?
We can only make donations to organisations with charitable status for their work within the UK. This includes registered charities, Friendly Societies, Industrial & Provident Societies registered under charitable not membership rules (an exception to this are credit unions – who we can fund).
We cannot fund Community Interest Companies or not-for-profit organisations unless they are also registered charities.
We cannot fund individuals or charities outside the UK.
How much can you apply for?
Grants of up to £10,000 can be awarded anywhere in the UK. The average grant is £4,000.
In areas where Santander has a significant presence grants of up to £30,000 are available (the average grant is £10,000).
These areas are:
- London Borough of Camden
- Milton Keynes covering Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire
- Leicestershire and Rutland
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
- Teesside covering the area from Redcar to Darlington and Sunderland
- Merseyside
- Greater Glasgow
- Northern Ireland