Skidmore Prize

The inspiration for the name of this prize: The Skidmore Fountain in Portland’s Old Town, which bears this inscription: “Good citizens are the riches of a city.”


This fall, we celebrate four remarkable individuals doing exceptional work for Portland-area nonprofits. Each Skidmore Prize winner is the embodiment of community dedication, a testament to the power of passion and purpose.

Their stories of resilience, determination, and unwavering commitment to social causes leave us awestruck and motivated to do more. In recognizing their outstanding accomplishments, we honor not just their achievements but the potential in all of us to make meaningful differences.


Winners of the Skidmore Prize must be under the age of 36 and work full-time for a local nonprofit. Winners received their awards, including prizes of $4,000, at a special luncheon.

2006 Prize Winners
Shelagh Johnson
Imagine a good day at work. Does it involve a classroom of teenagers and an enormous model of a penis? Probably not. But it does for Shelagh...
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Rodney Bender
If you open the iron gate between Ralphs Florist and Hollywood Antiques on Northeast 42nd Avenue, and then walk through a narrow alleyway and...
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Noah Kleinman
Seated in his office in the Old Library Studio on Northeast Hancock Street, Noah Kleiman looks very pleased with himself. He...
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Erik Fernandez
In a tiny, map-strewn office in North Portland, wedged between an enormous printer and a computer monitor that looks to weigh as much as he...
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Darren Linder
Darren Linder loves kids. He has to: Its his job. Since 1999, the tattooed 35-year-old has worked full time as a mentor for Portland-based...
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