The innovative and modern Inova Schar Cancer Institute is a world away from the typical institutional health facility one might expect when accessing cancer treatment. A welcoming space, decorated tastefully with stone, wood, and glass, the building calls to mind a spa retreat or high-end hotel designed to put visitors at ease. The furniture could be part of any living room, with no fluorescent lighting in sight. The space is also home to 500 pieces of artwork, with an impressive piece showcasing the word “HOPE” just beyond registration.
2. The Inova Schar Cancer
Institute
The innovative and modern Inova Schar Cancer Institute is
a world away from the typical institutional health facility
one might expect when accessing cancer treatment. A
welcoming space, decorated tastefully with stone, wood,
and glass, the building calls to mind a spa retreat or high-
end hotel designed to put visitors at ease. The furniture
could be part of any living room, with no fluorescent
lighting in sight. The space is also home to 500 pieces of
artwork, with an impressive piece showcasing the word
“HOPE” just beyond registration.
This state-of-the-art facility would not exist were it not for
the contributions of Dwight Schar and his wife Martha.
Schar played a pivotal role in securing the 420,000-square-
foot building for the Falls Church health system and
donated $50 million in 2015, laying the foundations for a
multidisciplinary cancer and research center.
3. A Background in Real
Estate and Leader in
the Community
A billionaire with a background in commercial
and residential real estate, Mr. Schar says he is
grateful for the success he had for decades,
building homes in the Greater Washington area.
Under his leadership, NVR, Inc., the Fortune 500
company he founded in 1980, grew to be and
continues to be the largest homebuilder in
Greater Washington, where it is credited with
building over 110,000 homes. Having started in
Northern Virginia, today NVR builds homes in 15
states and is acknowledged as the fourth
largest homebuilder in the country. It is built
over 535,000 houses. Although Mr. Schar retired
from the company in 2022, he maintains a
presence in commercial real estate projects in
Northern Virginia.
4. A Background in Real Estate
and Leader in the Community
With a net worth of around $2.5 billion, Dwight Schar has
dedicated a significant portion of his funds to supporting
philanthropic ventures. The focus of his charitable giving has
primarily been health and higher education. In addition to his
transformational gift for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Mr.
Schar has worked to improve access to higher education in
Northern Virginia through his support of George Mason
University, Virginia’s largest public research university. He
followed up his $50-million gift in 2015, for the Inova Schar
Cancer Institute, with a $10-million gift to George Mason
University in 2016. Through his decades-long efforts with Inova
and George Mason, Mr. Schar has established himself as a civic
leader and key contributor to the wider community.
5. Continued Support
for Inova
Dwight Schar and his wife’s contributions to
Inova did not stop with their gift of $50 million
for Inova’s cancer institute in 2015. Their gift of a
further $75 million to Inova’s heart and vascular
programs, donated in the spring of 2023,
became the largest single donation ever
received by the nonprofit organization.
Underpinned by the Schars’ initial donation, the
Inova Schar Cancer Institute plays a vital role in
the community, providing lifesaving services to
over 700 patients on a daily basis in healing,
hospitable surroundings.
