Introduction

It is a pleasure for me to be introducing yet another annual report, in which we review the activities carried out by Fundación Banco Santander over the last year.

An important part of our cultural endeavours consisted in supporting the research and promotion of the bank's art collection, and in designing a programme for Faro Santander, the recreational and cultural centre due to open soon at its former headquarters in the capital of Cantabria.

One novelty in this area was the arrival of the first instalments of Colección Biografías de Historia Fundamental, a collection featuring biographies of forgotten Spanish and Ibero-American historical figures, and of recolección, a series of publications dedicated to the most interesting studies of the Banco Santander Collection submitted by research grant applicants.

In the area of social outreach, I must highlight the excellent results achieved by Santander Emplea Cultura, which has been creating jobs in the culture industry for ten years now, and the first edition of Santander Ayuda to focus specifically on educational projects. By launching this programme, we hope to improve the situation of at-risk children and teens, especially those affected by the torrential rains that devastated several Spanish towns and villages in October 2024.

In order to promote equal opportunity for all and job placement, we will step up our cooperation with Spanish universities and other organisations involved in career training and advancement. These initiatives, combined with those already underway in 2023, have made supporting higher education, employability and entrepreneurship one of the foundation’s primary missions.

We trust that our efforts have helped to create a more equitable present and a more prosperous future for everyone. Knowing that we make a difference in society encourages us to continue supporting the advancement of individuals in each of our focus areas.

Borja Baselga Canthal

Managing Director