 In 1985, McFarland received the Department of Defense's highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award.At the 2015 CPAC meeting, the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute awarded McFarland its Woman of the Year award.In November 2016, the American Conservative Union selected McFarland as its "Conservative in the Spotlight", with ACU chair Matt Schlapp calling her "not only a brilliant strategist with a wealth of global affairs knowledge, but ... also an expert communicator who knows how to effectively deliver clear and concise messages to grassroots activists".