DAVID BECKMANN
A life devoted to ending poverty
David Beckmann is one of the foremost U.S. advocates for people struggling with hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.
PASTOR
David is a Lutheran pastor. At his ordination, he was called to be a missionary-economist, connecting Christian faith and moral values to the challenge of poverty. His most recent book is written to people of all faiths and no faith. It stresses that religiously unaffiliated people tend to be more supportive of economic justice than Christians. Yet David's own motivation is Christian. In Poverty Abolitionists, he writes, “In Jesus Christ, I experience God’s embrace and purpose. This is powerful motivation to work for the abolition of poverty that is possible in our time.”
David is now the Dean's Advisor on Political and Economic Justice at Virginia Theological Seminary. In his work with students and through a six-part lifelong learning course, he explores how Christian faith connects to the politics of poverty. He points to the progress made in recent decades as a sign of God’s love at work and a reason for hope.
ECONOMIST
From his upbringing in Nebraska, David learned values that shaped his path as an economist. After graduating from Yale, he studied religion in rural Ghana, where he saw firsthand the realities of hunger and poverty. That experience deepened his sense of calling. He went on to earn a Master of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics, worked in rural Bangladesh, and later joined the World Bank, where he worked for 15 years. At the World Bank, he oversaw large-scale development projects in East Africa and Latin America. Later he led the World Bank's engagement with NGOs and community organizations around the world. He has been awarded eight honorary doctorates.
ACTIVIST
David divides his time between advocacy on public policy and teaching effective strategies to connect faith to the politics of poverty. As president of Bread for the World (1991-2019), he led large-scale grassroots advocacy campaigns. David also led the Bread for the World Institute, a trusted source of analysis on hunger and effective anti-hunger policies. In 2001, David founded the Alliance to End Hunger, which engages diverse organizations in building the public and political will to end hunger. As coordinator of the Circle of Protection, he leads coalitional advocacy among church bodies and organizations that together include 100 million people. Today, David is calling for a stronger, more united movement of poverty abolitionists to push back against MAGA and get progress against poverty moving again.
WORLD FOOD PRIZE LAUREATE
In 2010, David Beckmann was awarded the World Food Prize for his leadership to increase and improve international aid and its contribution to the dramatic reduction of world hunger and poverty in recent decades. As a World Food Prize Laureate, he remains engaged with a global community of leaders who work together to promote lasting change in food security.
AUTHOR
David is the author of seven books, including Exodus from Hunger and Poverty Abolitionists. His writing draws on decades of experience working to reduce poverty and hunger in the United States and around the world. It also reflects his deep faith and a steady hope that people, working together, can make real progress. In Poverty Abolitionists, he offers practical insight and examples to help people take part in that work and move progress forward.
ROOTED IN FAMILY
For David, the work of ending poverty is not abstract. It is about families—our own and others—having the opportunity to live with dignity, security, and hope. He is blessed with two sons, John and Andrew, four grandchildren, and his life partner, Janet.
Honors
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Testified before Congress more the twenty times
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Author of seven books
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Partnership Award, Islamic Relief, 2019
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InterAction Julia Vadala Taft Outstanding Leadership Award, 2016
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National Latino Evangelical Coalition Anti-Poverty Champion Award, 2015
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Community of Christ International Peace Award, 2014
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Rumi Forum Peace and Dialogue Awards, 2014
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World Food Prize, 2010
Boards and Councils
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President Barack Obama’s Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to Address Poverty and Inequality
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Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid, USAID
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U.S. Trade Advisory Committee on Africa, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
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Co-Chair, Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network
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U.N. Committee on World Food Security
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Board, InterAction
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Board, Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa
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Chair, National Anti-Hunger Organizations
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U.N. Millennium Hunger Task Force
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Board, Congressional Hunger Center
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Advisory Board, Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, Iowa State University
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Founding Board, ONE Campaign
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Advisory Committee, 20/20 Vision for Food, Agriculture and the Environment
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Council on Foreign Relations