Appropriations process at IU
Anatomy of a successful earmark project

Appropriations process at IU

IU works with the Indiana congressional delegation on a yearly basis to obtain congressionally directed funding (earmarks) for University-sponsored projects. This funding has proved to be an important source of financial assistance for the University.

Clearly, the University cannot recommend every proposed project request to our Members of Congress and Senators; we must be selective. Ultimately, we expect to forward approximately 8-10 projects to our congressional delegation as part of the University's formal appropriations request for each federal fiscal year.

The Office of Federal Relations has instituted an open and inclusive process for considering earmarked proposals from the various campuses, colleges, departments, centers and institutes. Our goal is to make informed decisions based on a broad understanding of the needs and initiatives of our faculty. We have developed a questionnaire to provide us with basic information about each proposed appropriations request. We understand that time is valuable, so we have endeavored to keep it as brief as possible.

The University is sensitive to concerns raised in the academic community about the efficacy of earmarking congressional funds in the area of peer reviewed scientific research. As such, the University abstains from and actively discourages project-specific earmarking in agencies such as the National institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

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Anatomy of a successful earmark

Generally, successful projects receive between $500,000 and $2 million per year for a duration of one to three years. Because opportunities for construction dollars are limited, projects that focus on research or public service usually have the best chances of success. Proposed projects should be relevant to the university's overall goals and objectives, as well as the goals and missions of the underlying federal program.

Proposals should have a well developed "exit strategy" to obtain funding from other sources once the appropriations portion of the funding timeline has ended. Proposals should also demonstrate significant cost sharing and substantive partnerships with federal agencies, institutions of higher learning, and/or other outside partners. Finally, while a sponsor's ability to attract federal funding is an important metric of success, the specific items for which earmarked funding is being requested should not be available directly through competitively-awarded federal sources.

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