Santander Holdings USA, Inc. (“Santander” or “Santander US”) recently celebrated the completion of the tenth cohort of its Cultivate Small Business program, which served 93 entrepreneurs in Philadelphia, Dallas and Miami—and awarded $300,000 in capital grant funding to help these entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level.
The latest graduation marked the seventh year of Santander’s award-winning Cultivate Small Business program, which has now served 736 small businesses and distributed $2.4 million in unrestricted capital directly to entrepreneurs in six major markets—Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Philadelphia, Dallas and Miami.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and at Santander, our commitment spans beyond financial assistance – we help entrepreneurs get the practical knowledge they need to make a lasting impact. The Santander US Cultivate Small Business program is one important example.”
Patrick Smith
Head of Consumer & Business Banking at Santander
In alignment with Santander’s global commitment to Education, Entrepreneurship, and Employability, the program helps early-stage entrepreneurs build and sustain businesses in the food industry, with a focus on woman-, immigrant-, and BIPOC-owned businesses in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. The program, fully funded by Santander, is completely free for eligible entrepreneurs and provides a 12-week food-focused curriculum, mentorship, and capital grants.
“Cultivate Small Business was a game-changer for our business. I met (and learned from) a ton of remarkable, engaged, small business owners in my industry and my area – often both – as well as the amazing teams at Babson College and Santander,” said Nima Etemadi, Cultivate Small Business Graduate and Co-Founder & CEO of Cake Life Bake Shop in Philadelphia. “A year later, I still find myself using the tools, strategies, and advice they offered, as well as the action plan and projections I generated.”
Small businesses in the Greater New York City, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut areas can apply for the program’s Spring 2025 cohort here through January 30, 2025. Classes run from March through June. To learn more about the Santander US Cultivate Small Business program, join this information session on January 22.
The Fall cohort supports businesses in the Philadelphia, Miami, New York and Rhode Island areas with classes running September through November. Applications are accepted from March through June. Please reach out to CultivateSmallBusiness@Santander.us with any questions about program eligibility or application deadlines.