Ronald and Joy Paul

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Ronald D. Paul Companies, Eagle Bancorp

FUNDING AREAS:  Medical

OVERVIEW: Ronald and Joy Paul move their philanthropy through the Ronald and Joy Paul Family Foundation, which according to available tax filings, gave away around $260,000 in 2018. Annual grantmaking has varied in recent years, and has generally been quite modest. The family, however, has shown a consistent interest in health causes, particularly kidney disease research.

BACKGROUND: Ronald D. Paul was born and raised in Oceanside, New York, and graduated with a B.A. in accounting from University of Maryland. In 1980, he began his career in real estate investment as a bookkeeper, and in 1987 formed his own investment company, Ronald D. Paul Companies. He is active in private investments, which includes serving as Chairman of Bethesda Investments, Inc., a private venture capital fund. Paul also serves as the chairman and CEO of Eagle Bancorp, Inc. and EagleBank, a community bank established in 1998 in Bethesda, Maryland. 

ISSUES:

MEDICAL: The Pauls gave $2.5 million to George Washington University to create the GW/Ron and Joy Paul Kidney Center to address the urgent need for community awareness of kidney disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. The forces here are personal, as Paul was diagnosed with glomerulosclerosis in the 1980s, a kidney disease that can eventually end in kidney failure. He has received transplants from his brother and later, his longtime friend and business associate.

The couple, via their foundation, have directed funds to National Kidney Foundation and Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust towards kidney disease work. Joy is a clinical social worker who served for many years on the board of directors of the EveryMind (formerly Mental Health Association of Montgomery County), where she was president for five years. The Pauls have supported EveryMind and Adventist Healthcare towards mental health services, and Itineris, which deals with autism.

OTHER: Grantees have included Trust for the National Mall and Jewish federation of Greater Washington.

LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the Paul family’s support of kidney disease research to continue.

CONTACT: 

The Ronald and Joy Paul Family Foundation does not provide a clear avenue of contact but below is an address:

Ronald and Joy Paul Family Foundation
11412 Twining Lane
Potomac, MD 20854
(301) 951-72222