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

Kevin Enge, left, FWC, and Travis Thomas, UF, right, pose while holding a large male Suwannee alligator snapping turtle with their boat and Suwannee River in the background. This is the 15th year the two men have been trapping and monitoring the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle to conserve and protect them.
Endangered Species Act
Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle
The Suwannee alligator snapping turtle inhabits the tannin-rich black waters of the Suwannee River, flowing from the headwaters of the Okefenokee Swamp. After decades of hunting, they have struggled to recover because they are slow to mature and reproduce. Today it’s accidental deaths from fishing...
A black-footed ferret in their enclosure.
Science and Technology
Innovative Cloning Advancements for Black-footed Ferret Conservation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its genetic research partners announce the birth of two new black-footed ferret clones – known as Noreen and Antonia – and are providing an update on their latest efforts to breed previously cloned black-footed ferret, Elizabeth Ann.
group of kayakers and canoers boating along edge of island
Recreation
Service Provides $1.8 Million for Boating Infrastructure Projects in California
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will provide a $1.5 million Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) to the California Department of Parks and Recreation to improve aquatic infrastructure on Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay. The grant will support the replacement of the dilapidated...
Big Black rocksnails in water
Science and Technology
Extinct Mississippi snail rediscovered: landowner partnerships key to conservation success
Scientists found a living population of an assumed extinct Mississippi freshwater snail, the Big Black rocksnail, according to a study published in Biodiversity and Conservation, March 25, 2024.
2024 Alaska Jr. Duck Stamp Best of Show Winner
2024 Alaska Junior Duck Stamp Contest
The 2024 Alaska Jr. Duck Stamp Contest winners have been announced!
A long line of vehicles forms at National Elk Refuge on opening day of the shed antler hunt season.
Wildlife Crime
Antler Poaching Felony Earns Fine and Ban 
A felony antler poaching sentence, on the eve of shed hunt season opening, underscores the costs of flouting antler collection rules, say federal and state authorities.

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