LOWENSTEIN TRUST INC

Award BackgroundThe late Steve Lowenstein established an endowed trust fund for what has become the annual Lowenstein Trust award. In his will, Steve described:“The recipient of the Lowenstein Trust Award shall be that person who demonstrated (in the opinion of the Trustees) the greatest contribution to assisting the poor and underprivileged in the city of Portland, Oregon. Each year the recipient must be in need of these funds to help carry on her/his work and must use the award to further the type of work for which it was given.”In his own right, Steve Lowenstein was a model of public service. His sense of purpose, integrity, and perseverance inspired many of us who have worked on human rights and social justice issues. Steve joined the Peace Corps after law school in the early 1960s and wrote a textbook on Ethiopian law. He worked in Washington DC for the Office of Economic Opportunity and in Chile for the Ford Foundation. He was founding Director of Oregon Legal Services, authored a groundbreaking history—The Jews of Oregon 1850-1950—and at the time of his death in 1990, had served for six years as Executive Assistant to former City Commissioner Mike Lindberg.Award CriteriaEach year, the Trustees seek an individual whose work and contribution to people in need, within the City of Portland, upholds the spirit of Steve’s memory. We look for people who have dedicated themselves to a particular cause that benefits others. Often they have been working for years behind the scenes, either in a volunteer capacity or with low compensation. The recipient’s own financial need is considered in the evaluation of nominees. The award will enable the recipient to further their work, or the work of their organization. Recognition is given to an individual and the honorarium is typically, though not always, given through an organization affiliated with the award recipient for the purpose of supporting and continuing the recipient’s work.