Partners are valuable allies to the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and play a vital role in meeting the Service's conservation goals. We team up with private conservation organizations, state and federal agencies and tribes. Together, with the landowner, this collective shares funding, materials, equipment, labor and expertise to meet restoration goals and our conservation mission.

Partnership Categories

Great things happen when partners are matched with the right opportunities. That's why we work with many types of partners at FWS from local businesses and conservation groups to veterans and large industry partners. Here are just a few of the Partner Categories working with FWS today.

Academic Institutions

We frequently partner with academia to further the conservation of and research into the stewardship of many species.

Conservation, Science, and Land Management Organizations

We often partner with non-governmental conservation organizations on conservation projects, whether it's to conserve identified species such as the monarch butterfly or to advise on land acquisition for conservation so that it has the greatest benefit for species.

Economic, Tourism, Retail, and Industry

We partner with these groups to help them conduct their commercial activities in a way that best promotes conservation.

Icon /Federal Agencies
Federal Agencies

We work with other federal agencies to help them meet their legal responsibilities as well as their mission.

Friends Groups

Friends groups are organizations of community members committed to helping national wildlife refuges and national fish hatcheries meet conservation goals that would otherwise be out of reach. 

View Partnership Categories

Our Partners

Here are just a few of our national partners.  You can view the full list of FWS partners, along with the regions and areas of focus our work together entails.

View Full Partner List

Latest Stories About Our Partners

a large black and white bird in flight with outstretched wings
Habitat Restoration
USFWS and NFWF Announce $8.9 Million to Restore and Conserve Habitats in Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced 30 grants totaling $8.9 million to support wildlife habitat, climate resilience, community conservation partnerships and equitable access to nature in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Awardees from the USFWS ceremony on Maui gather for a group photo in front of a plant wall of a dimly lit room.
Our Partners
Going Above the Call – Honoring Our Partners in Conservation
Partnerships drive conservation efforts in the Hawaiian Islands. When the 2023 Maui wildfires threatened a captive care and breeding facility that is home to several of Hawaiʻi's critically endangered forest birds, those partners answered the call. More than a year after those fires threatened the...
Bog work day
Habitat Restoration
Work day in the bog
Joint effort from different agencies to help improve habitat for native wildlife and plants.
Migratory Species
2024 Urban Bird Treaty-funded Projects through NFWF's Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program
For the 2024 grant funding cycle, the Service’s Migratory Bird Program contributed funds supporting projects in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Arizona and Connecticut.
Watercraft inspector physically inspecting two kayaks on top of truck roof rack for aquatic invasive species.
Recreation
Preventing dreissenid mussels from entering Alaska
Just as Gandalf famously declared 'You shall not pass!' to protect the passageway from great evil in Lord of the Rings, we must continue a similar attitude in our prevention of zebra mussels. These tiny, invasive mussels pose a serious threat to our waterways, ecosystems, and infrastructure. By...
Flock of Canada geese in flight over from a wetland edged in grasses.
Land Management
Interior Establishes Willamette Valley Conservation Area in Oregon
CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Department of the Interior today announced the establishment of the Willamette Valley Conservation Area in Oregon as the 572nd unit of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-managed National Wildlife Refuge System. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams joined...

Partnership Services

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Through our partnerships we are able to expand our capabilities through the inclusion of services in areas such as:

  • Grant opportunities
  • Sponsorship of grants
  • Cooperative Agreements

To find out more about how our partner provides services view our partner services below.

View Partner Services