August 10, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Developer Ira Lubert and his wife, Pam Estadt, are donating $2 million to the National Constitution Center to create a permanent endowment for the Liberty Medal's $100,000 cash prize. Above, a view of Independence Mall leading to the National Constitution Center.
A $2 million gift to the National Constitution Center will create a permanent endowment to fund the $100,000 prizes given to recipients of the Liberty Medal, which was established in Philadelphia 38 years ago.
The donation comes from prominent real estate developer and private equity investor Ira Lubert and his wife, Pam Estadt, who have also made philanthropic contributions to Project HOME and Penn State University in recent years.
The Liberty Medal was established in 1988 to recognize individuals who show courage and conviction in advancing freedom and human rights around the world. The cash prize awarded to winners is typically donated to charities and humanitarian causes of their choosing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who received the medal in 2022, designated his prize to the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. Director Steven Spielberg won the medal in 2009 and donated the cash prize to his USC Shoah Foundation, which preserves the testimonies of Holocaust survivors. U2 singer Bono donated the winnings of his 2007 prize to DATA, an organization combating HIV/AIDS and poverty in Africa.
"Liberty is never something we can take for granted. It endures because there are people willing to stand up for it, defend it, and remind us why it matters," Lubert said in a statement Monday. "Pam and I have been proud to support the Liberty Medal because it holds up those examples of courage for all of us to see. We hope this gift will ensure that generations from now, the Liberty Medal is still honoring those who defend liberty and inspiring others to do the same."
The first Liberty Medal was awarded to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. It was given to Lech Walesa, the leader of Poland's Solidarity Movement that organized workers to challenge Soviet repression. The medal originally was administered by the Philadelphia Foundation, the city of Philadelphia and the organizing committee of the National Constitution Center, which took over selecting winners and presenting the honor in 2006.
The Constitution Center said the new endowment will ensure a steady fund for winners of the award, allowing additional donations from corporations, foundations and individuals to support the annual Liberty Medal ceremony and other programs at the Constitution Center.
Past Liberty Medal winners have included Nelson Mandela, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sen. John McCain, Rep. John Lewis and former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. This year, to mark the nation's 250th anniversary, the 38th Liberty Medal was awarded to Pope Leo XIV, who delivered a live acceptance speech from the Vatican on July 3.
“For nearly four decades, the Liberty Medal has celebrated individuals and organizations whose courage and leadership remind us that liberty must be defended and renewed by every generation,” Vince Stango, interim president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, said in a statement.
