The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is an American foundation that was chartered by Congress in 1984 to increase the resources available for the conservation of fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats. As of 2023, the NFWF has grown to become the largest private conservation grant-maker in the country. NFWF-funded projects -- as of 2023, more than 19,700 since its founding in 1984 -- have generated a cumulative conservation impact of more than $6.8 billion. The NFWF uses collaborative efforts from individuals, corporations, charities, and other groups to achieve its goals. The NFWF has used more than $1.5 billion of federal funding. On average, through donations and partnerships, the NFWF triples the value of every public dollar it receives. As part of its Congressional charter, the NFWF also serves as a neutral, third-party fiduciary to receive, manage, and disburse funds that originate from court orders, settlements of legal cases, regulatory permits, licenses, and restoration and mitigation plans. NFWF works with federal agencies, regional, state and local organizations, corporations, and philanthropic institutions to apply these funds to conservation projects. The NFWF is a public charity under the IRS tax code and is treated as a private corporation established under Federal law. Under the terms of its enabling legislation, NFWF is required to report its proceedings and activities annually to Congress Leadership. NFWF is governed by a 30-member board of directors approved by the Secretary of the Interior and including the heads of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA. [Information from Wikipedia.] Thus, from a philatelic standpoint, the NFWF can be considered a quasi-governmental organization. The conservation stamps it has issued, which started in 1987 and have been issued at least through 1998 [later information wanted], help to fund conservation projects in a similar way to the Federal "Duck" Stamp program. |