In total, 12 organizations were chosen, each of which will receive €42,117 thanks to the contributions made by Banco Santander employees to the Euros From Your Salary programme, in which the bank matches every euro they donate.

The programme has been running for 12 years and during that time it has supported 94 NGO initiatives in Spain and helped around 80,000 people.

In addition to the 12 winning projects, this year special recognition was granted to the Spanish Red Cross for its invaluable support during the COVID-19 pandemic to vulnerable people through its “Responde” programme.

Madrid, 3 November 2020.
This morning, HM Queen Letizia, along with the executive chairman of Banco Santander, Ana Botín, presented the awards for the 12th edition of the bank's Euros From Your Salary programme to the 12 social projects chosen by employees in Spain. Each winner (from among the 355 projects that were presented) will receive €42,000. Since the launch of this programme 12 years ago, more than €3.5 million have been distributed among 94 NGOs, helping close to 80,000 people.

Her Majesty the Queen thanked the executive chairman of Banco Santander for her invitation to share such an important moment and stated: “A bank, Santander, whose employees choose social projects that improve the lives of so many people: that is why we are here. And we have just seen and heard how much these projects mean to people and how far they reach, which is even more significant in the context of the current pandemic: inclusive education, the promotion of equal opportunities, training and care in situations of vulnerability, research, the protection of children and the most vulnerable, and upskilling disabled people.”

The Queen also thanked the employees of Banco Santander for “their sense of responsibility and their ability to incorporate different sensitivities to cover such a broad spectrum of aid to such diverse sectors. Congratulations to the 12 organizations that will receive this aid, which is a consequence of our full awareness that we are all part of a support network in which everyone matters. This is our way of achieving a perpetual virtuous circle of solidarity and shared responsibility that lead to well-being and fair and inclusive growth for all,” she added.

Ana Botín, executive chairman of Banco Santander, expressed her gratitude to the Queen for taking part in the event once more this year, and to the other authorities present, and she highlighted that with initiatives such as these, “we are providing help to thousands of people who need it, and by working together we are stronger. As a company, we are aware of our responsibility to contribute to a world where no one is left behind and we are sure that, with people like those who are accompanying us today, we will achieve this,” she added.

Each of the 12 winning organizations will receive €42,117 from the Euros From Your Salary fund, which is financed by donations from the employees of Banco Santander taking part in the programme – the bank matches each euro contributed by its staff. A total of €505,400 was raised in this edition.

This year, the bank gave special recognition to the work of the Spanish Red Cross, for its support to vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic. HM the Queen was in charge of presenting this award to the Red Cross, for its Responde programme, whereby one million people received telephone assistance and support, 25,000 families will receive basic goods, 16,000 people will be supported in employment and 3,000 homeless people will have somewhere to sleep.

Santander has been working closely with the Red Cross for several years through various initiatives. One related to the joint project with Foment del Treball Nacional and the Spanish Red Cross, for the latter to purchase material for shelters for homeless people affected by the coronavirus pandemic. On that occasion, Santander Spain donated €200,000 to the Spanish Red Cross to buy healthcare equipment.

Winning projects

Out of the more than 350 entries presented on this occasion, a panel of experts comprising representatives of the bank's various areas selected 30 finalists. From these finalists, Banco Santander’s employees voted to choose the winning projects in each of the five categories: international cooperation, disability, health, social exclusion and primary education.

In international cooperation, the prizes went to: Religiosas de María Inmaculada, whose project “A sweet, a profession” aims to teach girls and young people who have left school to stand on their own feet, by learning how to manage a pastry business (Mali); Itwillbe, which combats the problem of children who live in the railway stations and streets of India and are forced to beg or work, or who are sexually exploited (the charity uses an innovative software to locate these children and reunite them with their families more quickly); and Action Against Hunger, whose project aims to improve the quality of life of refugees and local populations in Lebanon by improving waste management.

In the disability category, the prizes were awarded to: the Spanish Federation of Rare Diseases (FEDER) for its “Aid for highly vulnerable cases” project, whereby FEDER provides information on diseases, builds networks by creating contacts among similarly affected people, their family members and health professionals, and facilitates the search for diagnoses; Nadiesolo, whose project makes it easier for volunteer families, parents and children to devote their free time to accompanying 91 children who have intellectual or physical disabilities and who also come from families at risk of exclusion; and Fundación También, with its project in the Madrid region to prevent bullying at school of children with disabilities or special educational needs.

The winners in the health category were: Fundación Creality, whose programme consists of supporting children with chronic diseases or at the end of their lives by using dogs to provide therapy thanks to the bond that arises with the animals and the companionship they provide; and Fundación Sin Daño, which funds a stem cell research project for children with brain injuries launched by Niño Jesús Hospital in Madrid.

In social inclusion, the award-winning organizations were: Fundación Mujer, whose initiative, the Soledad Cazorla scholarship fund, provides study grants and psychological support for children orphaned as a result of gender-based murders; and Fundación Quiero Trabajo, which seeks to facilitate the social reintegration of women at risk of social exclusion, by preparing them to face job interviews and by helping them to regain self-confidence.

Lastly, in primary education, the winners were: Fundación Dádoris, which will use the donation to grant scholarships to young people with excellent academic results whose families cannot pay for a university education; and Fundación Ayuda en Acción, with its “L@bs4Opps” project, involving educational centres providing technological training to 180 adolescents with the dual aim of dropout prevention and closing the digital gap in the rural environment.