Local social enterprise is one of the first to receive support from new crowdfunding partnership

Mummyshock, a Brighton-based social enterprise that supports new mothers by teaching them parenting skills and helping to build their confidence, has received £1,000 of matched funding from Santander’s new Changemaker Fund.

The Fund, which was launched at the end of last year as part of an innovative collaboration between Santander and a rewards-based crowdfunding platform, is designed to help social enterprises, small charities and community groups deliver projects that improve communities and help disadvantaged people to have confidence in the future.

Mummyshock offers new mothers a safe environment to discuss challenges and issues they may be facing in their first few months of becoming a mother and enables them to share their experiences with others in similar situations. The additional funding will enable Mummyshock to extend their services to young, homeless mothers by running their 10-week counselling groups in the Stopover hostel, providing much needed help to those who do not have access to other support services.

Sue Douthwaite, Managing Director of Santander Business Banking, commented: “We are thrilled to support Mummyshock as they expand their services to help young, homeless women who may not have access to other support. As a mother myself I can appreciate the importance of a support network, especially in the early days of motherhood, and look forward to seeing how the programme develops with the benefit of this funding.”

Ellen Baldwin, Founder of Mummyshock, commented: “Through the Changemaker Fund we have been able to offer our 10-week programme to those mothers living in Stopover accommodation to give them the same support that any new mother deserves.”

The new Changemaker Fund, www.crowdfunder.co.uk/changemaker, is part of Santander’s flagship community programme, The Discovery Project, which aims to inspire people to have confidence in the future through projects that build skills, grow knowledge and support innovation.

By working together with Crowdfunder, Santander aims to enable entrepreneurs and community groups to tackle social challenges and create positive local impact. Eligible projects seeking funding of up to £20,000 and focussed on skills, knowledge and innovation that get the crowd’s backing will receive 50% of their funding requirement from Santander to ensure the enterprise reaches its target.

As well as access to the £200,000 matched funding from Santander, projects will benefit from crowdfunding team specialists with education, enterprise and coaching support to unlock further funds and create lasting impacts in communities across the UK.

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About Santander
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. It has brought real competition to the UK, through its innovative products for retail customers and relationship banking model for UK SMEs. At 31 December 2016, the bank serves around 14 million active customers with c20,000 employees and operates through 841 branches (which includes 60 university branches) and 67 regional Corporate Business Centres. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.

Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading retail and commercial bank, headquartered in Spain, with a meaningful market share in 10 core countries in Europe and the Americas. It is among the world’s top banks by market capitalization. The bank’s purpose is to help people and businesses prosper, in a way that is simple, personal and fair. Founded in 1857, Santander had EUR 1.52 trillion in managed funds, 125 million customers, 12,200 branches and 188,000 employees at the close of 2016. Santander made attributable profit of EUR 6,204 million in 2016, an increase of 4% compared to the previous year.

About Mummyshock
Mummyshock aims to provide a supportive space for women to talk, as they begin their journey as new mums, in a secure and friendly environment. Our goal is to support new mums to grow in confidence, as they care for their baby-enabling everyone to get the best start. For more information please visit http://mummyshock.org.uk/

Media Enquiries
Sarah Webster     T: 020 7756 5533 M: 07568 112 529 E: sarah.webster@santander.co.uk  
Stephanie Harris T: 020 7756 4221 M: 07841 506 668 E: stephanie.harris@santander.co.uk

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