Avery Becklenberg

Fulbright/University of East Anglia Award

Avery Becklenberg graduated from the University of Denver with a BA in International Studies, a BA in Communication Studies, and minors in Leadership Studies and Spanish. Her interest in grant making for community development began in collaboration with nonprofit leaders addressing homelessness in Denver and deepened when she studied economic development and governance in East Africa. There, she learned from community organisers about the challenges that arise when the priorities of indigenous leaders differ from those of the agencies and philanthropists who fund their work. Since 2022, Avery has worked with public and faith-based foundations, stewarding resources to strengthen communities in the United States and abroad. Through this work, she has seen that effective community change emerges when donors and practitioners build relationships grounded in mutual trust and cultural flexibility. Funded by Fulbright, Avery will pursue a Master's in Global Development Management at the University of East Anglia, where she will examine existing relationships between indigenous leaders and foreign investors, build culturally reflexive frameworks for project evaluation, and pose equitable, collaborative approaches to transnational community development.