About Us

Since its founding by Jay Shidler in 1972, The Shidler Group has become one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. Through its affiliates, The Shidler Group has made debt and equity investments in over 2,000 properties located nationwide. The Shidler Group has also founded and capitalized numerous real estate, financial, and monoline insurance companies, including five NYSE-listed public corporations.

To date, Mr. Shidler has donated $2.1 billion of Ground Lease-generated income streams to public colleges and universities. These include the University of Washington School of Law and the University of Washington School of Medicine. In addition, major donations have been made to the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, the Shidler College of Business, the William S. Richardson School of Law, and the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Currently, The Shidler Family Foundation and the Educational Infrastructure Trust are focused on acquiring and donating student housing complexes to public universities and colleges in California. Initial donations will be made to a select group of California’s public community colleges – the 35 or so colleges that did not receive funding through the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program (HESH program).