About the Partnership for Public Service

The Partnership for Public Service is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to building a better government and a stronger democracy.  

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Our nation’s civil servants are composed of roughly 2 million individuals who work in communities across the country and around the world. They are our family members, our friends and our neighbors.

In fact, 85% of federal employees live and work away from our nation’s capital. While policies and priorities are typically set at headquarters in the Washington, D.C., area, employees in the field do much of the day-to-day work of delivering on the mission of our government. They care for our veterans, support our farmers, inspect our roads and bridges, protect our food supply and respond to disasters. Notably, more than 70% of career civil servants work in defense and security-related agencies, and veterans make up nearly one-third of the career federal workforce.  

These career civil servants are hired based on their merit and expertise—not their political beliefs or party. The merit-based and apolitical nature of the federal civil service ensures that these employees are qualified and committed to serving the public good and upholding the Constitution above all else.   

Watch the below explainer video to learn more about the civil service.

Public Perceptions of Government

Overall trust in, and public perceptions of, government have been on the decline since the 1960s. Although trust in our federal government remains low, there is overwhelming support for a nonpartisan, merit-based civil service that acts in the public interest. Career public servants hold critical roles that will be jeopardized if the civil service is politicized.  

Read our 2024 report on the state of trust in government and on public perceptions of public servants, and view our dashboard highlighting our latest trust data. 

23%

Of Americans trust the federal government compared with 63% who do not 

31%

Believe the federal government has a positive impact on the United States

91%

Believe having competent civil servants is important for a strong American democracy 

95%

Agree civil servants should be hired and promoted based on their merit rather than their political beliefs 

Our Vision for a
Better Government

Through conversations with stakeholders working across sectors and political parties, the Partnership has identified five solutions that would create a more accountable, responsive and modern government and civil service. This reform agenda serves as a framework for stakeholders to champion and guide future improvements for good governance.  

Career civil servants are a conduit between federal agencies and the public, ensuring that the services we expect from our government are delivered to all.

Championing their work and impact—and their role as nonpartisan employees committed to the public good—is critical to reinvigorating faith in government. The Partnership’s research has identified three core strategies to help advance a positive vision of the nation’s civil service.

1. Strategic messaging

Career federal employees make our nation safer, stronger, healthier, more prosperous and more equitable. They are responsible for many noteworthy and inspiring accomplishments, most of which are seldom told. Public perceptions of the federal workforce and our government are shaped by negative narratives that people hear in the news, on social media and in popular culture. 

We built this messaging toolkit to help the public better understand what career civil servants do and how they impact our country. Based on empirical research and decades of experience working in the federal space, we’ve developed a set of messages to help organizations and individuals consistently communicate and produce a steady stream of stories that improve perceptions of career federal employees.  

Please use and tailor these messages to best suit the needs of your audience.  

3. Advocacy through
coalition building

It is critical to build buy-in for positive civil service reform across sectors by sharing ideas to make government work better—and the consequences of a more political federal workforce—with your networks and with leaders in government, business, philanthropy, the media and democracy protection organizations. 

The Partnership stands ready to work with you to advance a more effective government. Contact us to discuss how we can work together to protect and advance our democracy.