Carl Gershman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carl Gershman
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Gershman in 2024
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| President of the National Endowment for Democracy | |
| In office 1984–2021 |
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| Succeeded by | Damon Wilson |
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| Born | July 20, 1943 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Harvard University (MEd) |
Carl Gershman (born July 20, 1943) is an American leader who spent many years helping to spread democracy around the world. From 1984 to 2021, he was the first president of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). This organization helps groups that work for democracy in different countries.
During his time as president, the NED grew a lot. It started with $18.5 million in 1984 and reached $300 million a year by 2021. With this money, the NED supported almost 2,000 projects in 100 countries. Carl Gershman also started many programs to help democracy, like research, advocacy, and networking. Before joining NED, he worked for the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He also served on the United Nations Security Council.
Contents
Early Life and School
Carl Gershman was born in New York City on July 20, 1943. He grew up in a Jewish family. In 1961, he finished high school at Horace Mann Preparatory School.
He then went to Yale University. While studying there, he was active in the Yale Civil Rights Council. He even volunteered in Mississippi and Alabama to help with civil rights efforts. In 1965, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale with high honors.
Career Highlights
After college, Carl Gershman joined Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) from 1965 to 1967. VISTA was like a domestic version of the Peace Corps, helping communities within the U.S. In 1968, he earned a Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
He worked in research for different organizations. From 1969 to 1971, he was Research Director at the A. Philip Randolph Institute. He also helped lead the Youth Committee for Peace in the Middle East.
Early Political Work
In his younger years, Carl Gershman was involved with the Young People's Socialist League. He held leadership roles there from 1970 to 1974. This group was the youth section of the Socialist Party of America.
In 1972, he helped shape the international plans for the Socialist Party. This led to the party changing its name to Social Democrats USA (SDUSA). From 1975 to 1980, Gershman was the executive director of SDUSA. He worked to bring different groups together for common goals.
Leading the National Endowment for Democracy
In 1984, Carl Gershman became the first president of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). This was a big step in his career. The NED was created to help promote democracy around the world.
The idea for NED came from U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1982. He suggested an effort to support the basic parts of democracy. These include a free press, unions, political parties, and universities. The U.S. government then created the NED as a private, non-profit organization.
The NED gets most of its money from the U.S. government each year. It works like a foundation that gives grants. It sends money to private groups that are working to promote democracy in other countries. About half of NED's funding goes to four main U.S. organizations. These include groups that support labor, private businesses, and political parties. The other half goes to hundreds of non-governmental organizations abroad.
Carl Gershman retired from his role as president of NED in the summer of 2021.
Awards and Recognition
Carl Gershman has received several awards for his work:
- He received the Order of the Knight's Cross from the Polish government.
- He earned an award from Romania.
- He was honored by the Chinese Education Democracy Foundation.
- He received the Light of Truth Award from the International Campaign for Tibet.
- He got the President's Award from George Washington University.
- In 2019, the government of Taiwan awarded him the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon.
See also
- National Endowment for Democracy
