The Syar Foundation was founded in 1998 by C.M. “Tony” Syar and his wife, B.M. “Boots” Syar as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, and is their gift to the communities where they raised their families and achieved business success.
The Syar Foundation
In 1939, Tony Syar started the family business in the North Bay with a contractor’s license, a few tools, a 1932 International dump truck, and an appetite for hard work. From this humble beginning, Tony, with Boots always at his side, built highways, develop housing tracts and golf courses, helped build and improve military bases, and manufactured countless yards of concrete and tons of aggregate products. By the time Tony retired, he had built the family business into one of Northern California’s largest producers and suppliers of high-quality aggregate rock products, asphaltic paving materials, and ready-mix concrete.
Much like Tony himself, the Syar Foundation started modestly. In 2001, however, Tony made his final act of generosity by leaving his entire estate, representing a lifetime of hard work, to the Syar Foundation, increasing its size and impact on the community exponentially. The Syar Foundation seeks to support the communities which supported Tony, Boots, and the Syar family businesses for so many years.
The Syar Foundation focuses its grant making in the counties of Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo. The Foundation’s primary emphasis is on supporting K-12 education, children’s healthcare, and strengthening families and communities. Since 2006, the Syar Foundation has made over $7.7 million in grants.