Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you called the Truman National Security Project?
We believe that America needs to rethink our national security posture in light of the new realities of the 21st Century. Our namesake, Harry Truman, presided over the last era in which America entirely restructured our national security apparatus. Under Truman, America crafted alliances such as NATO; initiated our first development aid programs: the Marshall Plan and the Point 4 program; unified our separate military services into a single Department of Defense; and created the first professional intelligence agency, the CIA. The Truman Administration also helped to found the United Nations and supported the Bretton Woods economic institutions to create global economic stability and growth. Truman recognized that America after WWII was a world leader, and he worked to create a world that welcomed and prospered under our leadership. His vision transformed a moment of unprecedented threat into an era of unimagined opportunity and prosperity. After 60 years, we believe it is time to do the same again, for today's world.
How can I join your work?
We offer trainings for individuals from 22 through their early 40s, as well as bootcamps for progressive organizations and elected officials. To see where you fit in, please visit Where Do I Fit?
Where do you get your funding?
We are funded by many private individuals, corporations, and foundations—some of which give to our sister 501c3 organization, the Truman National Security Project Educational Institute. We have no single large supporter, and do not work for any candidate or political organization.
How Do you Choose Truman Fellows?
The Truman Fellowship Selection Committee is composed of 6 rotating individuals, with spots reserved for former Fellows from chapters outside Washington D.C. and Board Members. After applications are received, they are sent in books to the Committee, along with any references received. The Committee ranks individuals on a 1-5 scale based on criteria of: excellence and ability to perform at the highest levels of their profession; character; mentorship and desire to build community; belief in our shared principles; ability to speak in language accessible to Americans outside the foreign policy community; and ability to forward our mission by speaking in the media, working in electoral politics, advancing the policy conversation, or advancing the public debate. Staff assist the Committee by calling many references and speaking to some candidates to aid the Committee in their decision making.
After receiving rankings from the Committee, staff create weighted averages for each candidate. Candidates are grouped into tiers based on a curve of those averages.
The Committee meets to discuss each of the candidates in the top two tiers one by one, moving further along the tiers depending on the number of applications. The Committee looks for stellar applicants from a very selective pool. They also attempt to build a community that balances each class across careers (veterans and front line security workers, policy experts, politically active individuals, and community leaders in the media, legal, and other sectors), as well as ensuring gender and ethnic diversity. While we do not treat each geography as a unique pool with a set number of Fellows per region, the Committee does take geography into account. In years when we are deepening chapters in various localities, those chapters receive special consideration. Washington D.C. tends to have the largest pool of applicants. It is therefore a particularly competitive geography.
Once a finalist pool has been chosen, if it is larger than the 40 Fellows selected per class, staff and members of the Committee call many references and candidates from that finalist pool. The Committee then makes its final decisions, and we inform all candidates of those decisions.
With a highly able applicant pool, we can generally only admit approximately 25% of all applicants. Finalists and applicants who have not been asked to reapply are unlikely to be selected in the following year. Should they be very interested in the Fellowship, they may wish to wait before resubmitting, assuming they have deepened their background in the criteria areas. While we do not have strict age restrictions, those under 27 and over 40 are less likely to be selected, as too broad an age range obstructs our ability to build a strong and cohesive community.
