The Sidmans: A Wealthy Family with Multigenerational Ties to Boston
/The Sidman Family Foundation is steered by the Sidman family, which has strong ties to the Boston area. The foundation's president is Paula Sidman. Paula's father, the late Norman B. Leventhal was a real estate developer who helped shape the Boston skyline while at the helm of The Beacon Companies. Paula's husband, meanwhile, the late Edwin Sidman joined The Beacon Companies, and rose to serve as chairman. On the philanthropic end, the Leventhal and Sidman name adorns the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center in the Boston area. Supporting Jewish organizations, by the way, is rather important to this family.
Paula's kids, Matthew Sidman and Hope Sidman, also help steer the Sidman Family Foundation. Matthew worked at Highfields Capital Management before starting his own firm, Three Bays Capital. And Hope is CEO of H2O Applied Technologies.
In the most recent fiscal year on record, the foundation gave under $40,000, an usually low amount. In prior recent years, however, the foundation gave away in the neighborhood of $1 million annually, primarily focusing on Boston organizations.
One area of interest is health and human services. The Sidmans have supported places like Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and Children's Hospital Trust, which has received particularly large sums recently.
Supporting the Jewish community is also important to this family. In life, Edwin Sidman was passionate about helping Ethiopian and Soviet Jews immigrate to the United States and Israel. He also supported the local Jewish community. The Sidmans, via their foundation, continue to support the JCC of Greater Boston. Other grantees have included and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, where Edwin once served as chair. Outside of Boston, meanwhile, the family has supported places like JCC of Greater Palm Beach, American Jewish Committee, David Project, and Friends of Israel Defense Forces.
For a complete overview of this funder, read our profile and guide. So far, it appears that Matthew and Hope have not set up a charitable vehicle of their own, but that could come into play down the line. Matthew, by the way, is only in his mid-40s.
Related:
