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.

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

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.

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

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

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. 

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.

Latest Stories About Our Partners

Small striped fish in a tank
Our Partners
Bringing blackbanded sunfish back to blackwater habitat in Maryland
Service funding supports decades-long effort to bring the rarest freshwater fish species in Maryland back to native habitats
three people in safety vests move small woody debris into into large trash cans at the LNFH ADA fishing platfoorm
Our Partners
Community Crew Clears the Way
When early winter flooding left debris piled against Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery infrastructure, a unique partnership stepped in to restore access and protect vital public spaces. Learn how the Wenatchee Department of Corrections work crew teamed up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to...
Snowy Plover
Our Partners
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognizes Naval Base Ventura County for excellence in natural resource conservation
VENTURA, CA – Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service honored Naval Base Ventura County as the recipient of the 21st Annual Military Conservation Partner Award in recognition of the installation's commitment to conservation in a ceremony held at the base.
Ten people wearing bring yellow shirts and blue hard hats pose near a newly constructed rock wall
Our People
Conservation construction crew to the rescue!
The Service's Maintenance Action Team mobilized in August 2025 to tackle an urgent public safety project at Yosemite National Park.
Bobcat on blanket is fitted with GPS collar.
Wildlife Management
Investigating Rodenticide Exposure in Carolina Furbearers
Biologists across the Carolinas have been piecing together the troubling mystery of why species like bobcats, foxes, weasels, and skunks are turning up dead. These mid-sized carnivores, known as furbearers, are found in a variety of habitats and feed on diverse diets. The Carolina investigation and...
Why did sea-run brook trout vanish from the Santuit River?
A Tribal Wildlife Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is empowering Cape Cod’s Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to study the disappearance of sea-run brook trout from the Santuit River and perhaps one day restore a healthy population that can support recreational fishing again.

Partnership Services

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.