Banking firm Santander’s Foundation is making £1.8m in funding available to back charity projects that look to promote digital and financial inclusion.

The Foundation’s Financial and Digital Empowerment Fund will hand out grants of £150,000 to 12 charities through this latest round of funding.

This is the second tranche of funding through the Fund, with 21 charities also handed £150,000 each last year.

Successful charities in this latest funding round will be selected by the end of November.

The Fund backs projects that help people to have the knowledge and confidence to use technology and make informed decisions around their finances.

Target groups are young people, women, people with disabilities, refugees, Black and ethnic communities, and prisoners.

“Without access to mainstream financial services and tools, the impacts of financial and digital exclusion are profound,” said Santander Foundation chair Judith Moran.

“Not only do people pay more for goods and services and have reduced choice, but it can also affect education, employment, health, housing and overall wellbeing.

“We are delighted to open our grants programme again this year as the cost-of-living crisis deepens, and to be able to support more organisations working with those who feel the impacts of financial or digital exclusion the most.”

Among charities to benefit from 2021’s funding award is Create, which supports communities through creative arts.

Its development executive Jacqueline Kent said that the Fund had given the charity "a wonderful opportunity to expand its work around financial literacy in prisoners”.

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