Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73
§3701 Establishment and purposes of Foundation
Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 57— - NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION › § 3701
Summary
Creates the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as a charitable, nonprofit corporation that is not a U.S. government agency. The Foundation must accept and manage private gifts to support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA and to help conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. It must also carry out other conservation work for the United States (including its territories and possessions) for present and future Americans, and help foreign governments, groups, and people with similar efforts abroad.
Full Legal Text
Title 16, §3701
Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)There is established the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (hereinafter in this chapter referred to as the “Foundation”). The Foundation is a charitable and nonprofit corporation and is not an agency or establishment of the United States.
(b)The purposes of the Foundation are—
(1)to encourage, accept, and administer private gifts of property for the benefit of, or in connection with, the activities and services of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources;
(2)to undertake and conduct such other activities as will further the conservation and management of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources of the United States, and its territories and possessions, for present and future generations of Americans; and
(3)to participate with, and otherwise assist, foreign governments, entities, and individuals in undertaking and conducting activities that will further the conservation and management of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources of other countries.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2000—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 106–408 added par. (1) and struck out former par. (1) which read as follows: “to encourage, accept, and administer private gifts of property for the benefit of, or in connection with, the activities and services of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;”. 1994—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 103–232 inserted before semicolon at end “and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration”. 1988—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 100–240 added par. (3).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Short Title
of 2008 Amendment Pub. L. 110–281, § 1, July 21, 2008, 122 Stat. 2617, provided that: “This Act [amending section 3702 of this title] may be cited as the ‘National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act Amendment of 2008’.”
Short Title
of 2006 Amendment Pub. L. 109–363, title II, § 201, Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2075, provided that: “This title [amending section 3703 and 3709 of this title] may be cited as the ‘National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2006’.”
Short Title
of 2000 Amendment Pub. L. 106–408, title II, § 201, Nov. 1, 2000, 114 Stat. 1777, provided that: “This title [enacting section 3710 of this title, amending this section and section 3702, 3703, 3705, 3706, and 3709 of this title, and repealing provisions set out as a note under section 3703 of this title] may be cited as the ‘National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act
Amendments
of 2000’.”
Short Title
of 1998 Amendment Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(b) [title IX, § 901], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–50, 2681–119, provided that: “This title [amending section 3703 of this title and enacting provisions set out as a note under section 3703 of this title] may be cited as the ‘National Whale Conservation Fund Act of 1998’.”
Short Title
of 1994 Amendment Pub. L. 103–232, title I, § 101, Apr. 11, 1994, 108 Stat. 336, provided that: “This title [amending this section and section 3702 and 3709 of this title and enacting provisions listed in a table of National Environmental Centers set out under section 668dd of this title and provisions set out as notes under section 3702 of this title] may be cited as the ‘National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Improvement Act of 1994’.”
Short Title
of 1990 Amendment Pub. L. 101–593, title I, § 110(a), Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 2959, provided that: “This section [amending section 3702 and 3709 of this title] may be cited as the ‘National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act
Amendments
of 1990’.”
Short Title
Pub. L. 98–244, § 1, Mar. 26, 1984, 98 Stat. 107, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act’.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 3701
Title 16 — Conservation
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73