For more information, please visit the DOI Ethics Website.

While partnerships can enhance federal programs, employees are still subject to the federal ethics statutes and regulations pertaining to fund-raising, accepting gifts, endorsements, and other considerations. As employees expand the use of partnerships, they and their partners must be mindful of the ethics laws and regulatory restrictions, because partnership authority is not an exception to these criminal and regulatory restrictions.

Ethics Issues in Partnerships.pdf (64 KB) – An overview of ethics issues related to partnership programs, including statutory prohibitions, appearance of conflicts of interest, lobbying activities, charitable contributions, and endorsements.

Ethics Issues to Consider:

Conflicts of Interest
Thorough Understanding of Ethics Laws/Regulations
Gray Areas

Additional Ethics Resources:

Fundamental Ethics Principles

Ethics Do’s and Don’ts When Establishing Partnerships with Private Organizations

Other Links