Community Involvement
The Fox Companies, their owners, and staff, believe in the power of giving back. Each year special projects are taken on. Fox Companies philanthropy primarily focuses on local schools and non-profits.
Elementary Schools
Peter and Kim Fox have adopted six local elementary schools; Kenwood, South Side, Thomas Paine, Westview, and Wiley, and middle school; Edison. They donate their time as well as money to fund classroom upgrades, smartboards, and other technology improvements. They are also the principal gift givers and organizers of the Champaign-Urbana Foundation Splash Grant Program, designed to help teachers purchase off-budget items to enhance their classroom; items which were previously paid for by teachers out of their own pockets. In addition, Fox Companies supports the Champaign-Urbana Schools Foundation as the lead sponsor of their 365Club Breakfast.
Crisis Nursery of Urbana
A recent gift of $50,000 to the Crisis Nursery of Urbana, which provides shelter for victims of child abuse, is but one of many made over the years by the Fox family to ensure that the most vulnerable among us are well and safely cared for. They have also invested time and money in working to upgrade the neighborhood in which Crisis Nursery is located through their work on the Provena Covenant campus, at the nearby Hampton Inn, their involvement in a Habitat for Humanity home near the nursery, and their efforts regarding the general beautification of University Avenue.
Parkland College
Founded in 1966, Parkland College, offers more than 100 associate degree, transfer, and certificate programs, while annually providing nearly 10,000 students with affordable, vocational-technical education. As a long-time supporter of its scholarship programs and contributor to various classroom improvement projects, Fox Companies maintains close ties both to Parkland College and to its foundation. The donation in honor of retiring president, Zelema Harris, was utilized to establish an endowment to create five scholarships annually for students interested in the field of health care. Additional gifts have been used to develop scholarships in other courses of study including business and finance.
University of Illinois
Carle Illinois College of Medicine
The Fox Family has been enthusiastic advocates and supporters of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine from the beginning. They are “32 for 32” scholarship donors, providing a full, four-year scholarship to an inaugural class student. They continue to be involved with Carle Illinois College of Medicine programs as they are developing, such as the Health Make-a-thon; a competition for makers, citizen scientists, and anyone with ideas for improving human health.
Pollinatarium
As the lead donor and developer of the University of Illinois Pollinatarium, the first, free-standing center in the nation devoted to flowering plants and their pollinators, Peter Fox was instrumental in ensuring that every 2nd grade Urbana, and 4th grade Champaign, elementary school student is able to participate in a field trip to the Pollinatarium. He arranged for local HVAC, plumbing and electrical firms to donate their time and materials for the work required to construct the Pollinatarium, and recruited a Boy Scout troop to take on site clean-up and prairie restoration.
Division of Intercollegiate Athletics
The Fox Family is an annual contributor to the DIA and, as part of its Loyalty Circle, supports the I Fund for the recruitment of new student athletes.
Fox Family University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Faculty Endowments
A gift of $2 million was made to enhance the university’s recruitment efforts by funding several professorships, with priority given to faculty involved in private business and/or the development and transfer of university technologies to the private sector.
Fox Family Professors:
Dr. Andrew C. Singer
Dr. Thomas J. Overbye
Dr. Lizanne DeStefano
Dr. Peter Abbamonte
Cozad Lecture Series & Cozad New Venture Challenge
The Cozad Lecture Series, through a gift from Kim and Peter Fox and additional friends and family, was established in memory of local businessman V. Dale Cozad. His work, commitment to the community, and entrepreneurial spirit make him an ideal candidate to inspire future generations. The lecture series has drawn such speakers as Shahid Khan, owner of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and automobile parts manufacturer Flex-n-Gate, Jimmy John’s founder, Jimmy John Liautaud, Kinko’s founder, Paul Orfalea, and Bytemobile’s chairman, Dr. Hatim Tyabji. The Cozad New Venture Competition is designed to encourage students to create new, sustainable businesses. The competition is administered through the College of Engineering’s Technology Entrepreneur Center. Companies which have competed include Rithmio and Lumenous Co. Peter Fox funds this competition annually.