S.D. Businessman Gives $90 Million to 3 Human-Services Groups

A roundup of notable gifts compiled by the Chronicle:

Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Feeding America, and Habitat for Humanity

Dale Larson gave a total of $90 million through his Larson Family Foundation to three human service groups that serve those most in need. Larson gave $30 million apiece to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Feeding America, and Habitat for Humanity to back food banks, programs for children and youths, and housing for struggling families.

Larson is the former CEO of Larson Manufacturing, a Brookings, S.D., manufacturer of storm doors, windows, and related products. The company was founded by his father, Oscar Larson, in the 1950s.

Dale Larson started his family foundation in 1990 primarily to back charities that provide basic needs such as food, shelter, and education to people in South Dakota.

Seattle Foundation

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos pledged an additional $25 million to match donations to All in Washington, a pandemic-relief program aimed at helping people throughout Washington State. Bezos committed the first $25 million for the effort in May and pledged this additional $25 million in late December.

He is the second wealthiest man in the world, with a net worth that stands at about $192 billion, according to Forbes, and he made a splash last year when he gave $10 billion to launch Bezos Earth Fund, a grant maker that has so far awarded nearly $800 million to nonprofits fighting the effects of climate change.

Villanova University

John and Jana Scarpa donated $15 million through their John F. Scarpa Foundation to back a variety of programs in the Charles Widger School of Law, including the creation of the John F. Scarpa Endowed Professor in Entrepreneurship.

The money will also be used to establish both a competition for students to compete for seed funding for new projects or businesses through the Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship Institute and a program for law students to provide counsel to other students developing companies. It will also support the law school’s operations and back scholarships for students interested in starting their own businesses.

John Scarpa founded American Cellular Network Corporation in the early 1980s. It became the first publicly traded cellular telephone company in the United States. He also co-founded Unitel Wireless Communications Systems, which built and managed cellular telephone systems throughout the country.

University Hospitals Cleveland

Steve and Loree Potash gave $7.5 million to establish the Steve and Loree Potash Women & Newborn Center at UH Ahuja Medical Center and to create a literacy program aimed at ensuring newborns and their families go home with their first collection of baby-friendly books, literature on healthy parenting tips, and information about extra resources available through local public libraries.

Steve and Loree Potash founded OverDrive, a digital content and distribution company in Bentleyville, Ohio. He also founded a number of other direct marketing, technology, and media-related companies. Loree Potash is an attorney and has worked as a librarian.

Rappahannock Community College Educational Foundation

S. Stuart Flanagan donated $2.7 million to create the Flanagan Family Endowment, which will back the college’s high-school Navigator Program, which embeds RCC mentors in local public high schools to advise and help students who are at risk of not enrolling in higher education or in workforce credential classes within 16 months of graduation.

Flanagan retired as a professor of mathematics education at the College of William & Mary, where he taught for almost 30 years.

To learn about other big donations, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated weekly.