From my experience, the only real difference is the process by which the grant comes to fruition * it is a political rather than a competitive process. The grants are routed through a Federal agency, whichever one is most closely aligned with the program. We work with our Congregational delegation to identify projects/programs that they feel are consistent with current Federal priorities. And, they determine where they might tack something on to another bill or initiate a bill. I did hear (anecdotally) that FY03 was a big year for Congressional earmarks and that some agencies were complaining that earmarks were running so high that the funds that they had remaining for competitive grants had actually dropped from FY02.

We have requested full F&A in almost all cases.

When you get the funds, it's an earmark. When someone else gets them, it's pork!

Larry Waxler, Director
Office of Sponsored Programs
University of Southern Maine
P.O. Box 9300
Portland, ME  04104-9300
Telephone: 207-780-4413
Telefax: 207-780-4927

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