# Title ## Basic Info **Name:** Ben Franklin Fellowship (BFF) **What is it:** A U.S.-based 501(c)(3) professional network and talent pool for foreign policy practitioners. **Who is involved:** Current and former U.S. State Department officials, USAID staff, and national security professionals; listed as an Advisory Board member of the Heritage Foundation’s [[Project 2025]]. **Location:** United States (Washington, D.C. operational focus). **Link:** [https://benfranklinfellowship.org](https://benfranklinfellowship.org) --- ## Entries ### What is it? The Ben Franklin Fellowship (BFF) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization comprising current and former State Department officials, USAID staff, and national security practitioners. Established as a professional network for those adhering to a "realist" foreign policy, the group distinguishes itself by its explicit opposition to what it views as the politicization of the civil service through recent Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mandates. While officially non-partisan and holding 501(c)(3) educational status, the Fellowship operates as a key node in the conservative foreign policy ecosystem. It is an official **Advisory Board member of [[Project 2025]]**, the [[Heritage Foundation]]-led coalition preparing personnel and policy vetting for future conservative administrations. The BFF functions largely as a confidential or semi-anonymous network, providing a protected forum for hundreds of active-duty diplomats and analysts who dissent from the "liberal internationalist consensus". The organization thus serves less as a standard think tank and more as a vetted talent pool ("personnel reserve") for conservative administrations in the US.