FSS actively participates in major public debates and advocacy programs organized by civil society organizations in the country. It is also keen to engage in other collaborative ventures with such organizations. It is, for example, a member of the NGO Task Force on the PRSP set up to review the government's Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, and to make recommendations to the improve the content of the final PRSP.

FSS welcomes collaborative work with the voluntary sector in the country, the donor community, and foreign academic, research and advocacy institutions. Some of the public debates held in the past have been joint undertakings with local civil society organizations. FSS has benefited by joint-venture schemes with the University of Sussex, the Chr, Michelsen Institute of Norway, and the Minority Rights Group International based in London. 

The organization is keen to attract the involvement of Ethiopians in the Diaspora. The brain-drain which has been going on since the 1970s has severely depleted the trained human resource of the country, and in view of this FSS considers involving Ethiopians in the Diaspora is one way to overcome the shortage of expertise and training in the country.  

FSS also welcomes foreign researchers who wish to establish collaborative links. It has an "affiliation arrangement" to enable such persons to work with FSS and its associates. The arrangement requires foreign researchers to be based in research, academic or civic institutions, and have access to sufficient funds for the work they wish to do, of which some of it will have to be earmarked as institutional cost payable to FSS. Collaborative arrangements will be made on a case-by-case basis.