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Annual Report

Connect with the problem.
Generate new ideas.
Build solutions.

Recognized

# 19
Ranked 19 among all US think tanks - the top 1%

Source: 2018 Global Go To Think Tank Index, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania

# 1
for its percentage of women at the expert staff level

Source: WIIS Gender ScoreCard

Growing

68 %
increase in staff since 2016
0
new programs in 2018

Influential

1.6 mill.
website visits in 2018
22.7 k
twitter followers
0 % increase in media over 2017.

Diverse

75 %
of Senior Staff are women.
# 2
the second fewest single-gender panels among top 20 think tanks

Source: Washington Post: “Women are mysteriously missing from D.C. think tanks’ foreign policy panels. Here’s the data.” Federiga Bindi and Mimosa Giamanco. 8-23-19.

“Stimson goes beyond admiring the problem. We build uncommon alliances and apply our research and analysis for the betterment of human kind. In short, our research has impact.”

From the President

Friends,

The Stimson Center was established 30 years ago with an audacious mandate: to offer pragmatic steps toward the ideal objectives of global peace and prosperity. Our goal was and is to help prevent the scourges of the 20th century -- conflict, genocide, arms races, proliferation, transnational crime, and more – from repeating themselves in the 21st century by ameliorating the conditions that cause them. Today, in an age of renewed uncertainty, our commitment to nonpartisanship and pragmatism have never been more important—or in greater demand. From interpreting the power dynamics of an ascendant China to protecting innocent civilians trapped in conflict in sub-Saharan Africa, Stimson goes beyond understanding and writing about global threats; we build uncommon alliances and apply our research and analysis for the betterment of human kind. In short, our work has impact.

That impact has caught the attention of partners around the globe, which is why Stimson has never had a wider and more diverse group of supporters—governments, philanthropic foundations and individuals, corporations and like-minded NGOs. We can proudly demonstrate that we are captive to no one constituency or donor, and that we stretch every dollar invested to maximum effect.

The Stimson Center experienced remarkable growth in 2018 with the addition of four new programmatic initiatives:

  • Security for a New Century helps build Congress’ knowledge on issues of global importance;
  • 38 North provides unparalleled transparency, insight and analysis on North Korea;
  • the Strategic Trade Management Initiative delivers hands-on, customized assistance on strategic trade issues to government, industry, academia and legislators around the world; and
  • the Alfred Lee Loomis Innovation Council, gives an opportunity for technology leaders to apply their knowledge and assets to meet real-world problems.

We continue to play an outsized role in advancing international security, shared prosperity, and justice through our unique blend of applied research, independent analysis, and policy innovation, ranking 19th among the more than 1,800 think tanks surveyed by the University of Pennsylvania. Seventy percent of our senior leaders are women. And we again received a rare 5-star rating for financial transparency.

In this report, you will learn more about the pragmatic impact that Stimson has had our common security and prosperity. To those that have contributed to this mission, thank you. For those that have not, come join us.

Sincerely, 
Brian Finlay
President & CEO

President's Letter

“Stimson prioritizes ideas based in evidence and real-world, pragmatic application, and recognizes the necessity of diverse voices and uncommon alliances to solve today’s pressing problems.”

Chairman's Message

Friends,

This year, Stimson is celebrating its 30th anniversary. For the Center, 2018 represented a year of both unprecedented programmatic growth, and an opportunity for reflection on just how much has changed in the world since our founding.

It is well documented that the twenty-first century has yielded far more complex and interconnected global challenges alongside greater uncertainty. These realities have changed how policy is made and implemented, and moreover have placed new demands on policy organizations like the Stimson Center. What is clear is that leaders, decisionmakers, communities and even individuals need less partisanship and more pragmatism, fewer grand theories and more action, less cynicism and more problem solving. Broad pronouncements of strategy are no replacement for rolling up your sleeves and working through a problem.

In that quest, Stimson boasts a thirty-year track record of success. The Center believes that security, prosperity, and justice should be enjoyed by everyone and that achieving them is a not a zero-sum competition; that human rights are universal; and that inequity and conflict can be reduced through international cooperation. Stimson prioritizes ideas based in evidence and real-world, pragmatic application, and recognizes the necessity of diverse voices and uncommon alliances to solve today’s pressing problems.

Whether bringing clarity to the confounding actions of Pyongyang, promoting tangible action from government and industry to protect the world’s oceans, or promoting sensible and renewal energy solutions in the burgeoning economies of Southeast Asia, Stimson’s approach is what sets the Center apart. Our researchers build deep connections to policy challenges, spending time in the regions and with the people affected by change. They go beyond writing reports by constructing practical tools and solutions, and they build uncommon alliances across geographies, government stovepipes, and with private actors to test their ideas in the real world.

I am tremendously proud of the work the Stimson team has accomplished over the past year, and as we reflect upon our 30-year impact, I want to thank you for your support of the Stimson Center.

Ambassador David J. Lane
Chairman

Chairman's Message
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Celebrating 30 Years

Stimson was founded 30 years ago in a time of great change and with the mandate to pursue pragmatic steps toward ideal objectives across the international security domain. Three decades later, in equally turbulent times, Stimson occupies an outsized role in advancing international security, shared prosperity, and justice through our unique blend of applied research, independent analysis, and policy innovation. 

2018 Annual Report

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Copyright 2019, The Stimson Center. For more information, visit www.Stimson.org.

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