Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation awards more than $14 million in charitable community grants and major philanthropic initiatives

Santander Consumer USA announced that 70 nonprofit organizations received more than $14 million in charitable grants from the Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation in 2022 to fund needed resources and help the most vulnerable in our communities.

Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation members with children receiving laptops

­The Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation focuses on five philanthropic pillars in its charitable giving:

  • Educational Mobility – Developing talent and preparing students for the workforce
  • Physical Mobility – Addressing personal physical modality and transportation issues that affect economic mobility
  • Economic Mobility – Financial literacy, job and workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and innovation
  • Sustainability, Crisis and Resiliency – Issues affecting the environment and urban development, disaster relief and immediate response recovery in crisis situations
  • Social and Racial Justice and Equity – Investments addressing issues affecting justice and equity for all

Santander Consumer USA is committed to being a part of the communities in which it does business by supporting organizations that make a measurable and sustainable impact.

“We are so proud of the hard work of our Foundation grantees and honored to partner with them in their goals to have positive impact in our communities of need,” said Suzanne Massey, Vice President, Santander Consumer USA Inc. Foundation. “We believe in the work and dedication that each agency puts forth to serve others and we hope to give each organization the support to carry out their very vital missions with greater efficiency and expediency.”

The Foundation believes in creating synergies with the agencies whose grant purposes are aligned with the Foundation’s Mission Statement, which is to contribute to and support the social and economic progress of the communities in which Santander Consumer USA and/or its employees are present to positively impact the lives of people living and working in the communities in which Santander Consumer USA operates.

The following organizations were awarded grants:

360 Eats (Florida) Support for Sustain-A-Bowl food truck curbing food insecurity and food waste in Tampa Bay, Florida.

A New Leaf (Arizona) Funding supports the BankWorks Workforce program by enrolling individuals in an eight-week career training program where they obtain employment with financial institutions and the Assets to Opportunity program which provides support for post-secondary education and small business development.

After8toEducate (Texas) Support to expand drop-in shelter hours of operation to seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with programming and staffing.

American Red Cross (National) Funding supports the national disaster responder program.

AmSkills (Florida) Support for rapid-employment career discovery bootcamp, transportation and micro-credentials/pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship training in low-income areas.

Artstillery (Texas) Support of Artstillery operations to continue developing projects that address social and racial justice and equity.

Bess the Book Bus (Florida) Support for 24 Joy of Reading Pop Up Book Fairs at six Hillsborough County and Pasco County Transformation Network Schools.

Bryan’s House (Texas) Funding supports the onsite therapy program and case management to address mobility issues for children (birth to age 21) with special needs.

Builders of Hope (Texas) Support to establish the Hope Homeownership Center (HHC). HHC aims to spur economic mobility through financial and pre-homebuyer education.

Café Momentum (Texas) To facilitate expansion of their accredited High School Home School Program, curriculum and general operating expenses.

Cara Mía Theatre (Texas) Funding to support production, tour and community programming of the Crystal City play in Dallas and San Antonio.

CityYear  (Texas) Funding supports operations and a three-year-match campaign.

Community Enrichment Center (Texas) Funding for the Housing Plus and Direct Emergency Assistance and workforce development programs with a goal of improving the Financial Capability Score for participants after 12 months in the program and improving credit scores of at least 10 points per quarter for 50% of participants while also securing savings and increasing income.

Compudopt (National) Funding supports digital education, digital literacy, laptop distributions and connectivity in major metro areas in the U.S.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre (Texas) Funding to support Black History Month programming (in person and virtual), including concert performances, touring, outreach and student matinees.

Dallas Concilio (Texas) Funding supports the Parents Advocating for Student Excellence program and the Power of Latinos Summit which informs and educates community stakeholders about the specific needs of the Latino community as well as highlight contributions and assets.

Dallas Hope Charities  (Texas) Support for Dallas’ only transitional living center for LGBTQ+ youth ages 18-24.

Dallas Innovation Alliance (Texas) Funding supports the Digital Ambassador Program by providing access to digital services and includes a central support line/text and on-the-ground trusted community ambassadors.

Empowering the Masses (Texas) Support to hire instructors for phlebotomy and community health worker certification courses and for one new food pantry box truck.

Family Gateway (Texas) Support provides funding for emergency shelter and housing-focused case management for families with children entering the emergency shelter program.

Feeding Tampa Bay (Florida) Support for the Feeding Tampa Bay Fresh Force Program and mobile pantries in Pasco and Hernando counties.

Genesis (Texas) Funding for the Emergency Assistance and Save to Build Program assists women and children as they transition from crisis to stability and provides matching funds for 30 families that have saved prior to exiting transitional housing, with a goal that 90% of clients will improve their credit score.

Impact Ventures (Texas) Impact Ventures Accelerator Program & Inclusive Capital Fund provides training and development and funding opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses.

Innocence Project (National) Support for legal team in Texas and Exoneree Emergency Fund.

Joppy Momma’s Farm (Texas) Supports farm build out and establishes landscape design.

Jubilee Park and Community Center (Texas) Support for free workforce development, job training and employment opportunities to low-income adults in Southeast Dallas.

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful (Florida) Support for environmental and STEM education that provides students with an enhancement of their environmental education.

LISC (Arizona) Support builds capacity toward financial stability in the Distrito Latino low- and moderate-income (LMI) corridor of Mesa, Arizona.

Literacy Achieves (Texas) Support to educate and equip immigrants and refugees for job attainment and advancement through an adult English literacy program.

Live Love (Arizona) Funding for the construction of The Oasis community building and refrigeration and storage equipment for food within The Oasis.

Lullaby House (Texas) Funding for a transport van with fuel and maintenance to transport young women and their children.

Mesa United Way — 12 Books (Arizona) Funding supports children’s literacy initiatives for children from low-income and foster families.

Mosaic Family Services (Texas) Support for program costs at the emergency shelter for victims of family violence or human trafficking.

New Friends New Life (Texas) Funding for the Economic Empowerment and Barrier Removal Initiative will address economic and legal barriers facing 250 adult survivors. A portion of funding will support financial literacy, employment coaching and benchmarked financial services and a portion will launch a legal advocacy clinic to create a legal action plan to address barriers to employment.

North Texas Food Bank (Texas) Funding supports fleet fuel, insurance and vehicle maintenance/repair.

On the Road Lending (Florida, Texas) Funding supports outreach to the Latino market in Miami where their intention is for 95% of those served to experience an increase in their credit score (goal = minimum 70 points). Funding will also support workforce development in Dallas with two garage internships including salary, benefits and training materials.

Operation HOPE (National) Funding supports national expansion to 15 cities helping CityYear Americorps participants develop financial skills, acumen and improve credit scores.

Parkland Foundation (Texas) Funding supports the Learning and Experience Apprenticeship Program which provides recent high school graduates from LMI backgrounds a 12-week paid internship with hands-on training as Patient Financial Services Representatives.

Pasco Economic Development Council (Florida) Support for small- and minority-owned businesses via the SMARTStart business incubator and CO.STARTERS business development program.

Pasco Hernando State College (Florida) Support for the First-Generation Matching Grant Program that is matched 2:1 through the State of Florida.

POETIC (Texas) Funding supports the Entrepreneurial Institute with financial security milestones and trauma therapy and administrative office recovery from the Dallas flood.

Quality of Life Foundation (Texas) The Tomorrow Fund provides the necessary resources to drive economic development, improve education, attract talent and support infrastructure, transportation and water issues to strategically manage the region’s growth.

Reading to New Heights (Texas) Funding adds a literacy staff member that will allow 65 people wanting to learn to read to be removed from the waitlist.

Save the Family (Arizona) Funding supports Family, Adults and Children Empowerment Services to include case management, career development and parent and children’s services in a 10-month program, in addition funding will support Step Up to Independence focusing on homeless families, this 24-month program addresses stabilization, increasing savings and financial independence.

SBP (National) Support for SBP’s Rebuilding and SHARE programs in disaster-impacted communities.

Sojourner Center (Arizona) Funding provides for complete renovation of residential shelter units with trauma informed design.

Southern Dallas Progress (Texas) Funding supports the renovation and development of the Oak Cliff Entrepreneurship Center and Coffee Shop.

Tampa Bay Watch (Florida) Support empowers students to act as stewards of the Tampa Bay estuary by providing field experiences that combine classroom resources with hands-on field experiences.

Texas Women’s Foundation (Texas) Support for three giving circles for three years at Texas Women’s Foundation, the Hispanic 100, Village and Orchid Giving Circles.

The DEC (Texas) Support for the small business mentor program.

The Senior Source (Texas) Funding supports the elder financial safety and money management program for elderly who have difficulty managing financial affairs.

The Walls Project (Texas) Program support that focuses on technical workforce development and community development and engagement work in DFW.

The Well (Florida) Funding supports entrepreneurs with critical resource business skills and mentorship to accelerate the growth and stability of social enterprises.

TR Hoover CDC (Texas) Funding supports TR Hoover’s Tech Kitchen and Café workforce development program which will feed the community and engage young students to work in the culinary arts.

Trey Athletes (at UNT Denton) (Texas) Support for UNT Athletes transitioning into workforce development and internships prior to graduation.

Trusted World (Texas) Funding maintains Trusted World Service route in South Dallas.

Undies for Everyone (National) Support for projects in Dallas and Mesa Boys and Girls Clubs and Dallas ISD.

United Food Bank (Arizona) Support covers fleet fuel and vehicle repair and maintenance securing transportation for food insecurity needs across the state.

United Way Metro Dallas (Texas) Support for the Social Innovation Accelerator BootCamp to make nonprofit agencies more efficient and effective.

United Way of Tarrant County (Texas) Support for operational costs for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program which will file tax returns at no cost for 9,550 individuals/households earning $60,000 or less.

UNT Dallas Foundation (Texas) Support for the Mobile Food Market van and transportation van for legal services in underserved DFW communities.

UNT Denton Foundation (Texas) Support for Summer Bridge PUSH Program serving former foster care youth.

UTA (Texas) Full tuition support for the UTA Rise Academy scholarships and study abroad for 20 students including materials and program support.

VNA Meals on Wheels (Texas) Funding removes 25 hungry, homebound seniors from the VNA waiting list providing food and friendship to help them age safely at home.

Vogel Alcove (Texas) Funding supports the development and build out of the social and emotional learning and support space at Vogel Alcove at Family Gateway North.

Wesley-Rankin (Texas) The Aspiring Professionals pre-apprenticeship workforce program will disrupt multi-generational poverty with technical instruction, soft skills coaching and financial support and literacy for students in 9th and 10th grades that participate through high school graduation.

Wheels of Success (Florida) Funding supports expansion of the car repair assistance and insurance program to maintain vehicle ownership for Wheels of Success clients.

Women Rock Inc. (Texas) Support for mobile breast health initiatives in South Dallas’ most unhealthy neighborhoods, increasing education and access to healthcare knowledge.

Year Up (Florida, Texas) Funding serves 80 students in Florida through the Year Up workforce development program. In Texas, funding helps launch two new accelerated program models in Year Up DFW to meet employer and student demand. This will allow for enrollment of 120 students through a new accelerated training and professional skills model.

Young Leaders, Strong City (Texas) Support for the 9th Annual Young Leaders, Strong City Teen Equity Summit and ongoing YLSC programming including scaling the Race and Money Curriculum.

These contributions support organizations serving the most vulnerable in our home communities of Dallas, Mesa and Tampa, as well as across the U.S. In addition to monetary donations, Santander Consumer USA employees have donated more than 30,000 volunteer hours over the past two years to these and many other organizations, addressing the difficult challenges the organizations face, and contributing in practical and meaningful ways to community success.

About Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.

Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. is a full-service consumer finance company focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to our more than 3 million customers across the full credit spectrum. Santander Consumer USA, which began originating retail installment contracts in 1997, is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. (www.santanderconsumerusa.com)

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