Several organizations work to save polar bears by holding federal and state agencies accountable under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which offers legal protection to designated plants and animals under the federal government. Some advocacy groups include the National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department.

Polar bears face extinction due to global warming, oil and gas industry development and unreported or illegal hunting. Land management practices develop, preserve, restore and manage habitats. Private landowners enter into agreements to maintain habitats on their property for a period of years. Advocacy groups raise funds through monthly giving programs or the sale of merchandise, such as books, magazines and apparel.

The World Wildlife Fund offers technical advice to national and international energy companies to minimize oil spills that are fatal to polar bears and the entire food chain. In accordance with its mission statement, the advocacy group strives to ensure that any industrial development is sustainable. By a collaborative effort with the scientific community, conservation specialists and local residents, they actively oppose oil and gas development in fragile ecological areas. WWF cartographers around the Arctic prepare sensitivity maps that alert seafaring vessels to ecologically fragile locations to make Arctic shipping safer.