Office of Conservation Investment

The Office of Conservation Investment funds conservation and connects people with nature through grants that support conservation efforts with partners. We provide technical assistance and administer grants that distribute millions of dollars annually to support fish and wildlife conservation, habitat conservation, clean water, fish and wildlife health, imperiled and endangered species conservation, coastal wetlands enhancement, public safety programs, and outdoor access pursuits like hunting, fishing, target shooting, and boating. The Office of Conservation Investment and our partners have fostered conservation under a variety of program names since our beginning more than 80 years ago. Our foundation is built on successful partnerships established through Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration grants. These grants are still going strong and are a cornerstone of our work. Today, the Office of Conservation Investment responsibilities have expanded, and other grants have been entrusted to us to manage. Collectively we provide grant administration and technical assistance for thousands of individual grants annually that support the operation and maintenance of wildlife management areas for hunting and wildlife viewing, support the operation and maintenance of areas to launch boats, foster imperiled and endangered species conservation, restore and enhance coastal wetlands, aid Tribal partners with wildlife and habitat stewardship, provide hunting and aquatic education courses for millions, and much more. The Office of Conservation Investment also supports other Service efforts in the administration of additional grant programs. Learn more about the grants we support through funding, oversight and administration, and technical support from the links below: - [Wildlife Restoration](https://www.fws.gov/node/266321) - [Hunter Education](https://www.fws.gov/node/266322) - [Sport Fish Restoration](https://www.fws.gov/node/266324) - [Aquatic Education](https://www.fws.gov/node/266325) - [Boating Access](https://www.fws.gov/node/266892) - [Boating Infrastructure](https://www.fws.gov/program/boating-infrastructure) - [Clean Vessel Act](https://www.fws.gov/node/266328) - [Endangered Species](https://www.fws.gov/program/endangered-species/what-we-do) - [Great Lakes Recovery Initiative](https://www.fws.gov/initiative/great-lakes-restoration-initiative) - [Highlands Conservation Act](https://www.fws.gov/program/highlands-conservation-act-grant) - [Multistate Conservation](https://www.fws.gov/node/266331) - [National Coastal Wetlands Conservation](https://www.fws.gov/node/266329) - [State Wildlife Grants](https://www.fws.gov/node/266330) - [Tribal Wildlife Grants](https://www.fws.gov/service/tribal-wildlife-grants) - [The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, & Wildlife-Associated Recreation](https://www.fws.gov/program/national-survey-fishing-hunting-and-wildlife-associated-recreation-fhwar) About Us The Office of Conservation Investment works with partners to provide outstanding grant management and financial services to support conservation and outdoor access. Our Mission  [Image Details](https://www.fws.gov/media/officeofconservationinvesmentbackgroundspng) For more than eight decades, the Office of Conservation Investment has partnered with state, commonwealth and territorial agencies, Tribes, industry, and academia to conserve, research, restore, and manage fish and wildlife and their habitats for the enjoyment of current and future generations. The Office of Conservation Investment is driven to help deliver the Service's mission: Working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are partnering to fund conservation and connect people with nature. Our History Nearly a century ago concerned sportsmen's groups, women's organizations, manufacturers, and conservation professionals recognized the need to conserve fish, wildlife, and their habitat. This began the remarkable legacy of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (approved by Congress in 1937). Along with the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (approved in 1950), these became the foundation of our program and a cornerstone of American conservation and fish and wildlife management. What started with historic grant programs in Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration establishing partnerships with state fish and wildlife agencies and manufacturers has evolved to over 60 grant programs supporting thousands of individual grants annually. Through these grants and by supporting other Service programs, the Office of Conservation Investment provides a wide range of services to a plethora of partners funding conservation efforts across the Nation. Our grants, responsibilities, and enabling Acts have changed over the decades and our eligible activities have been expanded, redefined, and our funding levels increased. Today, our staff are occupationally more diverse and cover more fields and skillsets than ever before. The grants administered through the Office of Conservation Investment have provided billions to partners to fund conservation, stewardship, outdoor access, and to preserve our natural heritage.