AbstractThis paper addresses one aspect of the academic marine research community in the United States, namely the relationship of that community to the federal funding agencies. Extensive survey and interview data provide the basis for a demographic profile of university marine scientists; these data are followed by descriptions of scientists’ contacts with federal funding agencies, judgments about the health of the funding system in the late 1970s, and perceptions of how well the scientists felt their federal sponsors were carrying out their duties. Two major issues, relative austerity and increased bureaucratization, were identified as having a special importance for the continued health of marine research endeavors.