PMF Racial Statistics
Takeaways
The presidential management fellowship (PMF) program is a “flagship leadership development program” designed to develop government leaders.Yet from 2016 to 2020, the percentage of Black PMF Fellows dropped by over 83%.White applicants were almost eight times more likely to be chosen as a finalist than Black/African American applicants in from 2017 to 2021.
| IF YOU ARE A... | ACTIONS TO TAKE |
|---|---|
| 2022 Finalist/Prospective Applicant who is Black or a person of color | Email us at [email protected] for guidance on the application process or other questions |
| Current PMFs/alumni | Sign up to support finalists and prospective applicants. Encourage agency leadership and PMF coordinators to call for OPM to release demographic data |
| Agency and Graduate Program Staff | Call for OPM to release demographic data |
| Past Applicants | Consider filing an Equal Employment Opportunity claim against OPM: Template here |
| Other | Ask PMFPO for transparency on demographic data and changes to the application process |
White applicants more likely to be selected than black applicants
In the 5-year period from 2017 to 2021, Black Applicants represented 17% of the Applicant Pool, but only 3% of the Finalist Pool.
Article from GovExec detailing the problem
Black Fellows have been INCREASINGLY under-represented in the program since 2017, after the implementation of the new assessment process.
PMF Finalists and Fellows are over 5 times less likely to be Black than the Federal Workforce.
Additional Action Steps
If you are a Federal Employee:
Start a conversation with your supervisor and other agency leadership to ensure hiring streams are racially equitable, including by hiring through other recruitment programs until an equitable PMF assessment is adopted
If you are a PMF alum or a concerned party contact OPM/PMFPO and hold them accountable for:
Demonstrating how a new assessment would address racial inequities with the programEstablish comprehensive data transparency regarding the PMF application process, including making demographic statistics for past and future applicant cycles and finalist classes publicly available and easily accessibleGranting retesting for individuals adversely affected by the racially discriminatory PMF assessment process
If you are a prospective applicant:
Raise awareness of this issue within your graduate programContact us if you have questions
Data Sources: FOIA Requests, OPM Fedscope, OPM FedStats