Dwight and Marsha Schar

SOURCE OF WEALTH: NVR, Inc. 

FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Health 

OVERVIEW: Dwight Schar and his wife, Martha, don't appear to have a formal charitable vehicle but have made seven and eight-figure gifts to educational institutions with which they're connected. They also funded the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Virginia. The Mid-Atlantic, Ohio and Palm Beach, Florida are regions of focus.

BACKGROUND: Raised in Ohio, Dwight C. Schar worked nights at a pipe-fitting factory to pay for classes at Ashland College. He was a junior high school teacher before taking up real estate.  He eventually established NVR, Inc., a homebuilding and mortgage company which sells and constructs new homes under the Ryan Homes, NVHomes and Heartland Homes brands. Schar was once finance chairman for the Republican National Committee. The Mid-Atlantic is an important region of giving; NVR operates in several states in the region, including Virginia. 

ISSUES:

EDUCATION & YOUTH: Schar has strongly supported his alma mater Ashland College, giving $12 million to name the school's College of Education and athletic complex. The family also gave a $5 million challenge gift to construct a new building for Ashland’s College of Nursing. A $13 million gift went to Elon University, naming its convocation center—the Schars are Elon parents. Funds have also gone to George Mason University, including $10 million to its School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs. Schar served on GMU foundation's board of trustees for more than a decade and his daughter is a GMU alum.

HEALTH: A $50 million gift went to the Inova Health System in Virginia to create the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, an international center for advanced cancer care and research.

LOOKING FORWARD: It is unclear how much money is waiting in the wings here, but Schar has been on the Forbes billionaire list in the past. Perhaps more big gifts towards the couple's select interest areas are down the line. The Schars also live in Palm Beach, Florida, where Martha has served on the board of directors for the Rosarian Academy, a private Catholic school, as well as several other nonprofits.

LINK: NVR