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

Family poses for tree planting at Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Get Involved
Volunteers, an Earth Day Celebration, and a Little Snow
37 hardy volunteers braved an unexpected snowstorm to celebrate Earth Day and plant over 75 trees and shrubs at the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Trash Cleanup Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Get Involved
Volunteers Spruce up the Swamp
The day-to-day volunteer program at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is nearly 200 volunteers strong. Those volunteers enhance the visitor experience through daily tasks and at special programs and events. In celebration of Earth Day and National Volunteer Week, volunteers spent two days...
Kids petting snake
For Parents and Educators
From Seeds to Trees: Earth Day Blooms at Wolf Creek
Many celebrated the planet with hands-on fun and outdoor adventure! Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery's Earth Day event brought families together with free trees, wildlife exhibits, kids' activities, and educational booths—including live birds, archery, spinning demos, and even stream critters!
A dark grey salamander with light blue spots on a bed of green moss
Our Partners
Red Coats and blue-spotted salamanders 
USFWS partners with Hanscom Air Force Base to survey for a rare salamander in a Revolutionary War landscape  
Sierra Mountains
Surveys in the Sierra
The morning felt as though the still air had frozen. In my small backpacking tent, cold air swirled to the roof as I let out the first few breaths of the day. Not a sound was to be heard as morning began in the Sierra Nevada.
Heavy equipment on a dirt landscape with green vegetation and blue skies above
Habitat Restoration
Final Environmental Assessment for the Kootenai Floodplain Reconnection Project
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service released a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Kootenai Floodplain Reconnection Project.

Partnership Services

A group of people in a field
Image Details

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