Cox Communications is a company with a big heart – for its employees, its customers and its community. An innovative technology company with a broadband network that is powering San Diego County homes and businesses, Cox is creating moments of human connection every day, and its connection to our community has never been more important than these past two years as our region faced a worldwide pandemic.

Whether it’s been helping students and schools transition their families to learning and working from home or making daily calls to older adults dealing with isolation and loneliness, Cox is also a leader in local philanthropy and focused on making sure every interaction with its company and employees helps improve the lives of others.

Cox and The San Diego Foundation began a partnership in 1999 when the company established the Cox Kids Foundation (now known as Cox Charities) to support its employees’ desire to give back to the communities where they live and work. Employees make donations to Cox Charities via their paycheck and Cox matches their donations to increase the dollar amount contributed back to the community – whether through scholarships to high school students or grants to nonprofits.

A board of Cox employees volunteer their time to manage Cox Charities’ giving programs and review funding requests that support youth and education, military families and veterans, and conservation. The San Diego Foundation administers the funds on behalf of Cox and its employees.

Southwest High School graduate Alexis Colmenares was named a San Diego County 2021 Cox Scholar. He is a first-generation college student and is studying neuroscience and behavior at Columbia University.

“Giving back and making an impact in our community is very important to our company and our employees,” said Colleen Dillaway, Director of Public Affairs for Cox Communications and a board member of The San Diego Foundation. “Having a partner like The San Diego Foundation and tapping into their expertise to administer the funds is critical to the success of Cox Charities.”   

To date, Cox Charities has contributed more than $6.5 million back into San Diego and other communities it serves in Southern California.

Cox was also among the first San Diego companies that seeded The San Diego Foundation’s Black Community Investment Fund, which was established in 2020 to complement the work of government agencies and organizations by investing in initiatives that disrupt and innovate the institutional drivers of racial inequity in San Diego.

Cox donated $25,000 to the Black Community Investment Fund, which was also supported with $1 million from The San Diego Foundation, as well as donations from San Diego Gas & Electric and Wells Fargo Bank.

“We’re proud to be among the first companies that raised their hand to support The San Diego Foundation’s Black Community Investment Fund to improve equity, access and opportunity within San Diego’s African American community,” said Ingo Hentschel, senior vice president and region manager for Cox Communications. “Cox has long been committed to inclusion, diversity and equity, and empowering our diverse communities with resources and support to be successful today and in the future.”

Whether its through Cox Charities or the Black Community Investment Fund, Cox Communications and its employees are showing the human side of technology.