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Check the numbers: Donations by individuals and family foundations; total corporate donations
Read more: Mannings aim for biotech revolution with $100 million gift
Tag: philanthropy
Donations by individuals and family foundations
Read more: Mannings aim for biotech revolution with $100 million gift
Check the numbers: Donations by companies and corporate foundations; total corporate donations
Total corporate donations
Donations by independent foundations and groups
Inova receives $75M donation for heart, vascular programs
Northern Virginia philanthropists Dwight and Martha Schar have made a $75 million matching gift to support Inova Health System’s heart and vascular treatment programs, Inova announced Tuesday. The Schars have donated a total of $126 million to the Falls Church-based health system since 1993, including $50 million in 2015 to establish Fairfax County’s Inova Schar Cancer Institute.
The Schars’ gift will be used to focus on research, outreach, prevention and early diagnosis of cardiovascular ailments, including hiring more health care professionals and growing specialty services in what will be called Inova Schar Heart and Vascular, as well as promoting health equity in Northern Virginia, the health system said in its announcement. The Schars challenged the community to match their pledge, which is among the largest in the nation to benefit cardiovascular medical treatments.
“The investment Martha and I made to support Inova’s vision for a world-class cancer center was one of the best investments of my life,” said Dwight Schar, who founded Reston-based Fortune 500 homebuilding and mortgage banking business NVR Inc. and retired last year as its chair. “We truly believe Inova provides exceptional quality of care and an exceptional patient experience, and we want everyone in our community to have access to this world-class care in their own backyard. Having the very best cancer care here in Northern Virginia has provided thousands of families facing a cancer diagnosis the ability to receive life-saving care close to home, and now we’re hoping to do the same for heart health. Today we’re investing again in Inova’s vision, and we know that Inova will exceed our expectations. We are also calling on the people of Northern Virginia to match our gift over the next year. We all need to invest in our community’s health care.”
The Schars’ donation will benefit Inova services including advanced heart failure and lung disease care; minimally invasive cardiac surgery; vascular medicine and surgery; women’s heart health research; and wellness and prevention, including health education and access to care.
“Countless lives will be transformed by this remarkable gift as it allows Inova to push the boundaries of medical research, innovation and patient care,” said Inova President and CEO Dr. J. Stephen Jones. “We are grateful for this generous donation by Dwight and Martha Schar. It will have a lasting impact on heart health and will accelerate the trajectory of our mission to provide world-class health care to everyone, in every community we have the privilege to serve — one heartbeat at a time.”
Inova, which employs more than 20,000 people, has five hospitals in Northern Virginia, including the region’s only Level 1 trauma center, and plans for the new $1 billion Inova Alexandria Hospital at the former Landmark Mall were approved in March by the Alexandria City Council. The medical campus is expected to open in 2028.
CoStar makes $18M pledge to VCU for arts building
CoStar Group, the Washington, D.C.-based real estate data analytics company with a large presence in Richmond, has committed to give $18 million to Virginia Commonwealth University to build an arts and innovation academic building in Richmond, the company announced Friday.
The building, which will tentatively be named the CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation, will house VCU’s School of the Arts and interdisciplinary programs involving business, sciences, medicine and engineering. Groundbreaking for the building, which will be at the intersection of Broad and Belvidere streets across from VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art, is set this fall. The center is expected to open in early 2027, according to the news release. The building is expected to be 213,000 square feet and include performance spaces, makerspaces and classrooms.
“CoStar Group’s strategic partnership — the second largest corporate commitment in VCU history — will provide a launch pad for generations of VCU innovators, artists, makers and performers,” Michael Rao, president of VCU and VCU Health, said in a statement. “We’re excited about our plan to name the CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation, which will recognize the tremendous alliance that has grown between VCU and CoStar Group. This collaboration will enrich our students, CoStar Group’s workforce, and the city of Richmond alike.”
CoStar’s founder and CEO, Andy Florance, has been a member of VCU’s board of visitors since 2021, and the company previously gave the university $2.5 million to establish a chair of real estate analytics at the School of Business.
“VCU has proven to be a constant source of innovation and energy, and CoStar Group has drawn heavily from its graduates and creative talent in recent years. As we continue to expand our business, our interests align seamlessly with VCU’s commitment to educational excellence,” Florance said. “I am confident that Dr. Rao’s leadership will continue to make a positive lasting impact and that he will be a thoughtful steward of the center’s resources. This partnership will support VCU’s world-class educational programs as well as contribute culturally to the City of Richmond and the commonwealth of Virginia, which CoStar Group calls home.”
In November 2022, CoStar broke ground on its $460 million expansion in downtown Richmond, which will bring its total footprint in the city to 1 million square feet. Currently the company employs more than 1,500 people in Richmond, and it expects to more than double that number when the new CoStar campus opens in 2026.
NSU receives $1M donation for chair endowment
Retired Dominion Enterprises Inc. President and CEO Conrad M. Hall has donated $1 million to Norfolk State University, the university announced Friday.
The gift from Hall, who serves on NSU’s board of visitors, will support the creation of an endowed chair, the Conrad M. Hall Endowed Chair in Constitutional and U.S. History, in NSU’s Department of History and Interdisciplinary Studies and its political science department.
“Preservation of our history is imperative to our nation staying true to its founding,” NSU President Javaune Adams-Gaston said in a statement. “This professorship will have an enduring impact on our scholars and their understanding of the underpinnings that make our nation great.”
“It is the expectation that an understanding of American and constitutional history will work towards the strong desire of all involved with NSU to equip students with the absolute best education that will enable them to be leading citizens,” Hall said in a statement.
Hall served as president and CEO of Norfolk-based Dominion Enterprises for 20 years. Dominion Enterprises is a digital marketing and software services company that was started under the umbrella of the former Landmark Communications Inc., which owned The Virginian-Pilot and other newspapers.
Hall became president and CEO of Trader Publishing Co. in 1989, which was renamed Dominion Enterprises in 2006.
Before that appointment, Hall served as executive vice president and chief financial officer with Landmark Communications, after serving as vice president for human resources. He’d previously served as vice president of operations for The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.
Hall is a Norfolk native who served as an artillery officer in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Virginia Military Institute and an MBA from the University of Virginia.
Hall serves on numerous boards in addition to NSU’s board of visitors, including Eastern Virginia Medical School’s board of visitors and the boards of the Access College Foundation, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Landmark Media Enterprises LLC and the Slover Library Foundation.
Hall previously was a member of the boards of visitors of VMI and Old Dominion University and is a past president of the VMI Foundation Inc. and past chairman of VMI Investment Holdings LLC. Other boards he served on include the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters and the United Way of South Hampton Roads.
GMU biz school receives $50M bequest
George Mason University’s School of Business will be renamed for the late Donald G. Costello, a Loudoun County native and business owner who left the university $50 million in his will, GMU announced last week. The donation is the university’s largest individual gift in its 50-year history.
Costello, who died in 2017 at the age of 75, was born in Leesburg and in 1976 co-founded Haymarket-based Century Stair Co., which became the East Coast’s largest stair manufacturer. The gift will establish the Donald G. Costello School of Business, and establishes an endowment for undergraduate and graduate scholarships for business students. According to GMU, the school will officially adopt its new name later this year.
The Donald G. Costello Trust’s donation was announced April 27 at the launch of GMU’s $1 billion Mason Now fundraising campaign.
“It is fitting that we announce this transformational gift at the launch of the Mason Now campaign,” said GMU President Gregory Washington. “As the most innovative university in Virginia, Mason leads the way in creating new academic programs to meet the evolving needs of the 21st-century economy. Mr. Costello’s success is a testament to his hard work, tenacity, and steadfastness — the same qualities we seek to instill in our students.”
Costello, who graduated from Loudoun County High School, joined the Army before co-founding his business with Joseph Contrucci, who is serving as executor and trustee of Costello’s trust.
“Don and I have always seen George Mason University and its School of Business as a catalyst in fueling the Northern Virginia economy,” Contrucci said in a statement. “This gift will further that impact by creating career opportunities and new businesses for decades to come.”
UR alumni couple donates $3M to support Jewish life
Carole and Marcus Weinstein, alumni of the University of Richmond and recent donors of $25 million to the university, have given an additional $3 million to the university’s chaplaincy to support Jewish life, UR announced Monday.
“We have participated in several Jewish life events on campus and are excited to contribute to the ongoing efforts to cement a vibrant and inclusive Jewish life at the university,” Carole Weinstein said in a statement.
The couple said they have been impressed with the ways the chaplaincy supports all students in their faith and spirituality.
“Jewish tradition teaches us that giving to others is critically important,” Marcus Weinstein said in a statement. “By sharing what we have with other people, we hope to make the University of Richmond and the wider world a better place.”
The University of Richmond has had a chaplain since 1973, when the board of trustees established the position and in 1986, the chair of the chaplaincy was established as a permanent part of university life. The campus has 14 ministries and the office of the chaplaincy “offers opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to explore their own convictions, faith, and spirituality within a welcoming inter-religious context” according to the university’s website.
“The Weinsteins’ support will strengthen our goals of enhancing Jewish community, supporting our student-centered Hillel offerings, and engaging with the campus and Richmond community,” Jewish Chaplain and Director of Religious Life Josh Jeffreys said in a statement.
In 1990, the university dedicated the E. Carlton Wilton Center for Interfaith Campus Ministries. It includes a multifaith room, pathways lounge, conference room and prayer room. It has been renovated over the year years with new carpet, furniture, paint and upgraded lighting.
“The chaplaincy encourages students to follow their own faithful paths while appreciating the sacred journeys of others,” University Chaplain Craig Kocher said in the news release announcing the donation. “This latest gift from Marcus and Carole helps ensure our students have that capacity and opportunity.”
Va. Tech names SVP for advancement
Virginia Tech has promoted Charlie Phlegar to senior vice president for advancement, the university announced Thursday.
Phlegar has led efforts in fundraising, alumni relations, communications and marketing since 2015. Under his leadership, Tech’s advancement division has secured record amounts of new gifts and commitments, including $268.5 million in fiscal year 2021-2022. Undergraduate giving has also increased 22% in the most recent fiscal year. Phlegar was previously vice president for advancement.
“Charlie has been able to tap into our alumni’s profound loyalty, affection and desire to support their alma mater because he feels these things as deeply as any Hokie,” Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said in a statement. “The promotion reflects his expanded responsibilities resulting from our new communications and marketing model, and the remarkable impact of his leadership on our advancement division and Virginia Tech’s capacity to achieve our Beyond Boundaries vision for the university. I have great appreciation for his partnership with me over eight years, and look forward to building on our success.”
Phlegar has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech and was assistant director of athletics for sports marketing and later was assistant director of the alumni association at his alma mater. Then, he was campaign director at East Carolina University, vice president for development at the University of South Carolina, senior associate vice president and interim vice president for development and alumni relations for The Johns Hopkins Institutions and vice president for alumni affairs and development at Cornell University.
“I care a great deal about this university and, since returning, have stressed to our advancement division how important it is to build and nurture a culture of philanthropy and engagement within our worldwide alumni community,” Phlegar said in a statement. “We’ve worked very hard on that, while also looking to help develop partnerships with prominent, non-Hokie partners who share goals of leveraging learning and technology to improve industry and society. President Sands has outlined an ambitious vision of what Virginia Tech can become, and my team and I look forward to doing all we can to help bring that about.”