Berklee Partners with Santander US to Establish Global Opportunity Fund

Berklee Partners with Santander US to Establish Global Opportunity Fund The $400,000 grant offers students access to experiential learning opportunities within the professional industry and the chance to study at Berklee Valencia.

May 4, 2026

By

Daniel Pesquera

From left to right (back row): Kino Billon, district executive, Santander Bank; Benjamin McCoy, commercial banking relationship manager, Santander Bank; Berklee students Samuel Brennen, Jonah Gangi, Neo Pono, and Jupiter Montalvo; Leah Daly, head of corporate responsibility and sustainability, Santander US; Kjudi Ibrahami, district executive, Santander Bank. From left to right (front row): Berklee students Emily Rodriguez, Sofia Ballestas, and Natasha V zquez Ramirez.

Image by Michelle Parkos

Santander US has awarded a $400,000 grant to Berklee to establish the Santander-Berklee Global Opportunity Fund, a two-year initiative designed to expand international education and foster entrepreneurship through a portfolio of transformative learning experiences.

The Santander-Berklee Global Opportunity Fund offers undergraduate students at Berklee's Boston campus the chance to participate in semester- or year-long programs at Berklee's campus in Valencia, Spain, addressing financial barriers to international study. In addition, the fund provides undergraduate and graduate students access to Career Fellowships and Experiential Learning grants, reducing financial obstacles to internships and other career-connected learning opportunities.

This grant also launches a new innovation strand at Berklee Valencia's 2027 Global Career Summit, spotlighting entrepreneurship, technology, and creative career pathways, as well as opening avenues for students and faculty from Berklee's Boston and NYC campuses to participate.

At Santander, we believe in creating opportunities that help every student succeed, said Mike Bruno, region president for Santander Bank, North America. Through our partnership with Berklee, we are proud to support initiatives that provide students with the resources, programs, and experiences that make a meaningful difference in their education and future careers.

The partnership with Berklee is part of a recently announced $25 million commitment from Santander US in support of education, employability, and entrepreneurship that includes over $10 million in university grants and national scholarship funding. The Santander-Berklee Global Opportunity Fund reflects the commitment of both institutions to providing open access to world-class resources and their shared belief that continuously updating skills and knowledge is key to navigating an evolving job market.

We are grateful to Santander for their support of Berklees innovative and experiential programs, said Simone Pilon, executive director of Berklee Valencia. These funds help us grow the intercultural connection between the Berklee communities in Spain and the US, while also strengthening our efforts to prepare students for meaningful careers in the music industry.

The partnership with Santander US directly supports our mission to provide an exceptional experience for students by allowing more Berklee students to explore their creativity through a study abroad journey, said Christopher Kandus, vice president of enrollment management and student success. The opportunity to learn at Berklee Valencia is exactly the type of educational offering that broadens our community's global understanding of art and culture, while empowering students to reach the ultimate goal of advancing their careers.

About Santander US

Santander Holdings USA, Inc. (SHUSA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Madrid-based Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE: SAN). It was recognized as one of the world's most admired companies by Fortune Magazine in 2026, with approximately 180 million customers in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. SHUSA is the intermediate holding company for Santander's five growing businesses in the United States. Santander's US presence consists of auto lending, retail and digital banking, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth management businesses, with a combined total of approximately 11,000 employees, 4.4 million customers, and assets of $165 billion in the fiscal year ended 2025. In the US market, Santander is recognized as a top-10 auto lender and a top-10 multifamily bank lender and servicer, and operates one of the fastest-growing digital banks, Openbank by Santander, as a division of Santander Bank, N.A. For more information about Santander US, visit santanderus.com.

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