Xerox

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OVERVIEW: Through its corporate philanthropy program, Xerox funds education, community development, sustainability and disaster relief in areas of the world where it maintains operations.

IP TAKE: Xerox’s philanthropy is an amalgam of grantmaking, employee donations and volunteering. Therefore, it is difficult to know how much of their giving consists of monetary support. Giving for education prioritizes STEM and overlaps with the company’s sustainability interests.

Xerox is not transparent about its grantmaking and does not appear to accept unsolicited proposals for funding. With a high level of employee involvement, however, reaching out to a Xerox employee may be a good place to start the grant request process.

PROFILE: Xerox, the office technology company founded in 1906, operates under the belief that “a successful corporation must be an active participant in society.” While grantmaking through its formal foundation has slowed recently, the company continues to support various causes through its broad Xerox Philanthropy initiative, which aims to build “a more sustainable, socially just world, powered by human kindness.” Xerox names four main funding areas: Education and Workforce Preparedness; Strong, Vibrant Communities; Sustainability and Disaster Relief. Grantmaking prioritizes countries where Xerox maintains operations, including the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K., India, the Philippines and Spain.

Grants for Education, STEM, Work and Opportunity

Xerox’s Education and Workforce Preparedness giving works to “prepare the next generation of leaders, inventors, and scientists.” It supports colleges, universities, workforce development and STEM education at all levels.

In the U.S., Xerox has partnered with A Better Chance, a national organization that recruits students from underrepresented groups for participation in rigorous leadership development initiatives, and the HBCU Collective, which advocates for “collaborative support around funding initiatives for HBCUs.” In the U.K., the Xerox supports the Prince’s Trust, which helps “people aged 11 to 30 to build confidence, get a job or launch a business.”

Grants for Housing and Homelessness, Community Development

Xerox’s Strong, Vibrant Communities giving area supports supports the communities where its parent company operates. It is unclear how much of this support consists of grantmaking, but employee volunteerism is a significant component of the initiative.

Signature programs include the Team Xerox STEM and Robotics Camp at the Boys and Girls Club in Stamford, Connecticut and the Team Xerox Volunteer Day campaign, when “employees logged nearly 16,000 volunteer hours, helping 310 causes across the globe.” Other past grantees include Save the Children Federation, the Association of India’s Development (AID-India), Feathered Friends Forever and Graffiti HeArt.

Grants for Environment, Climate Change and Clean Energy

Sustainability is Xerox’s newest focus area and supports “programs and partnerships that mitigate climate change and make our world a better place.” Xerox has not developed a specific plan for its grantmaking in this area, but it appears that giving may run parallel to some of the company’s sustainability initiatives pertaining to its own operations.

An early project in this area consisted of a partnership with Brown University, where researchers pursued the identification of “lead-free alternates to lead zirconate titanate (PZT) for printheads.”

Grants for Disaster Relief and Emergency Aid

The company’s disaster relief focus area “provides aid to our employees and their neighbors in crises during natural disasters.” Xerox’s primary partner in this area is the American Red Cross, “for its efforts to respond quickly and effectively to U.S.-based natural disasters.” The company has also made grants to Save the Children and the Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.

Important Grant Details:

Because Xerox’s giving is comprised of grants, employee donations and volunteering, it is difficult to determine the range of its giving in dollar amounts.

  • Support goes mainly to the countries where Xerox operates: the U.S., Canada, France, the U.K., India, the Philippines and Spain.

  • A significant portion of this funder’s giving consists of employee donations and volunteer work.

  • This funder does not appear to accept unsolicited applications for funding, but the high level of employee involvement with its philanthropy suggests that reaching out to a Xerox employee would be a starting point for a grant request.

Xerox Philanthropy does not provide a way of getting in touch, but the Xerox corporation’s phone number is (203) 968-3000

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