Good partners or many partners are typically better. A partner is a generic term, it can be any organization. DoD dollars are not necessary. In kind services, such as time and labor, can be used. DoD should approve of projects involving the military, or at least approve of the project.
Projects can include acquisition, restoration, or enhancement.
They can help identify partners. They can provide information on various aspects of the program. If the project is in a Joint Venture, they will rank it against other submitted proposals. The term joint venture has been adopted by many group of people or organizations working toward a similar cause. There has to be nonfederal matching funds for the project.