National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that preserves and restores our nation’s native wildlife species and habitats. Created by Congress in 1984, NFWF directs public conservation dollars to the most pressing environmental needs and matches those investments with private funds. The Foundation’s method is simple and effective: we work with a full complement of individuals, foundations, government agencies, non-profits, and corporations to identify and fund the nation’s most intractable conservation challenges.

Conservation Focus

NFWF provides funding on a competitive basis to projects that sustain, restore, and enhance our nation's fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats. Foundation grants address challenges facing key endangered, threatened, or declining species that are indicators for overall ecosystem health. These grants target birds, freshwater fish, wildlife and habitat, and marine and coastal ecosystems. Success in restoring these at-risk populations will demonstrate measurable progress in protecting crucial landscapes and watersheds. The Foundation also targets specific conservation needs in restricted geographic areas through partnerships with federal agencies, corporations and others. Learn More

Strategy

As no two issues are exactly alike, NFWF doesn’t rely on a set formula to protect and restore our nation’s natural resources. We are creative and pragmatic, employing a wide array of conservation tactics to meet our mission. From teaching cranes to migrate to eradicating invasive species, the impact of NFWF’s contribution can be felt across the country. Several underlying principles guide our work: we forge innovative public and private-sector partnerships that bring expertise and resources to each project; we develop pioneering solutions to conservation challenges; and we work at the local level to address the root causes of habitat loss and species decline.

NFWF’s partnerships are key to its success. Sitting at the nexus of the public and private communities, the Foundation’s myriad partnerships connect us with potentially every federal and state agency, key industry leaders, concerned private citizens, and non-profit leaders from the international to the local level. And the results speak for themselves. Since its establishment, NFWF has awarded over 11,000 grants to more than 3,800 organizations in the United States, investing a total of $1.8 billion for conservation.