IU employees have contributed more than $175,000 to political campaigns and related committees since the beginning of 2017, according to an analysis of campaign filing data.
The Indiana Daily Student used publicly available filing information from entities whose contributors reported the University as their employer when making contributions. Recipients of such contributions, like political action and candidate committees, do not have to report this information to the Federal Elections Commission if the donor gave less than $200 in total to the entity.
Contributors with at least one Bloomington address were cross-referenced with faculty, staff and administration listings. Individuals whose position could not be independently verified were omitted and those who could not be categorized under a specific school were listed as "miscellaneous."
The contribution totals include money donated during primary and special elections since the election cycle began.
Almost 44 percent, or about $76,595, of contributions came from faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences includes the Media School, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and School of Art, Architecture and Design. Other departments within the college include Chemistry, Biology, History and Political Science.
Maurer School of Law faculty and staff contributed another $20,328. The individual who contributed the most money was a College of Arts and Sciences faculty member who gave $5,910 in total. The lowest contribution total reported was $1.
ActBlue, a nonprofit technology company that helps Democratic candidates and progressive groups fundraise, received the largest number of contributions of any entity.
Contributions to ActBlue can be earmarked for a specific candidate's committee, though IU employees also donated directly to the campaign committees of incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, and Liz Watson, the Democratic candidate for Indiana's 9th House District. The top 22 receiving entities were associated with Democratic causes.
ActBlue reported a record haul in the third quarter of 2018, attracting $7,782,934 in contributions between July and September, compared to $3,342,271 during the same period in 2016 and $2,304,231 during the same period in 2014.
Jacob deCastro contributed to this analysis.
