For those upcoming institutes…
If there’s anything The Legal Genealogist has come to know about the field of family history research, it’s that it’s not as easy as they make it seem sometimes on television.
To do genealogy right, we need to know what we’re doing — how to research and document and avoid all the mistakes we make as beginners.1
The great advantage we have today as 21st century genealogists is the wide variety of educational opportunities that are available to us, often as immersive week-long institute courses.2 They’re a great way of getting the education that we need.
But … sigh … getting that education often isn’t easy — because nothing in this world these days is cheap. Attending a week-long course is expensive in terms of both time and money.
Can’t help on the time issue but there is help available on the money issue: there are scholarships available to attend many of the institute courses at the Genealogical Institution of Pittsburgh (GRIP), Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR), Midwest African American Genealogical Institute (MAAGI) and Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) — and a couple of those scholarships have deadlines coming up soon.
So… here’s what you need to know about some of the major scholarships available for institute education (click on the link for each scholarship name for application details):
Due 1 January – for GRIP
The Donn Devine Memorial Scholarship awards full tuition and on-campus housing in a shared room to one applicant who has never been to GRIP. GRIP believes this scholarship will reward a genealogist who has emulated Donn Devine’s giving spirit of volunteerism but has not had the opportunity to attend.
Due 31 January – for Gen-Fed
The Richard S. Lackey Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to an experienced researcher active in a paid or volunteer position which directly benefits the genealogical community. This year the scholarship will award $1000, which covers full tuition for the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), and partly defrays hotel and/or meal costs. Provided the public health situation allows it, the Gen-Fed Alumni Association will also provide dinner at the Gen-Fed Alumni Banquet on Friday night, August 11, 2023, where a check for the amount less tuition will be presented to the recipient.
Due 1 March – for IGHR
The Frazine K. Taylor African American Research Scholarship for IGHR tuition is open to anyone who demonstrates a passion for African American genealogy and the ability to communicate that commitment in writing. (Working in a repository dedicated to African American research doesn’t hurt…)
Due 15 March – for GRIP, Gen-Fed, IGHR or SLIG
The Board for Certification of Genealogists offers two scholarships covering up to $1,700 of the tuition, travel, and lodging expense of attending GRIP, Gen-Fed, IGHR or SLIG. BCG will also waive its final application fee of $300 for scholarship recipients who submit portfolios of work to be considered for certification within three years of the announcement of an award. One is for an applicant under the age of 40 (must be under age 40 on 15 March) and the second for anyone “on the clock” (meaning the person has submitted a preliminary application to achieve the Certified Genealogist credential from BCG).
Due 15 March – for GRIP, Gen-Fed, IGHR, MAAGI or SLIG
BCG also offers the Paul Edward Sluby Sr. African American Scholarship with the same benefits — up to $1,700 of the tuition, travel, and lodging expense and waiver of the final application fee — at any of five institutes: GRIP, Gen-Fed, IGHR, MAAGI and SLIG.
Due 1 May – for SLIG
Five scholarships are available to attend SLIG — the “winter camp for genealogists” — with applications all due 1 May. The UGA Jimmy B. Parker Scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship will be awarded to an individual who has “demonstrated commitment to genealogical excellence and community involvement.” The Laura G. Prescott Scholarship was created “in recognition of her friendship to all, her professional accomplishments, and her passion for genealogical education” and covers full tuition and hotel expenses. The MyHeritage Chris Darrington Scholarship is sponsored by MyHeritage in honor of Chris’s service to genealogists through conferences and institutes across the United States and covers full tuition for one course. The SLIG Scholarship for First-Time Institute Attendees covers tuition, one night hotel cost and a discount on other hotel nights. And the SLIG Intermediate Foundations Scholarship provides full tuition for the Fall 2023 SLIG Virtual Intermediate Foundations course.
Due 31 August – for GRIP, Gen-Fed, IGHR or SLIG
The ASG Scholar Award from the American Society of Genealogists (ASG) covers $2000 of tuition and other expenses for attending GRIP, Gen-Fed, IGHR or SLIG, and may also be used by students enrolled in the Certificate Program in Genealogical Research at Boston University and the online courses Advanced Genealogical Research (GENE 350) or Genetic Genealogy (GENE 201) at Excelsior College, Albany, New York.
So… you wanna go to summer or winter camp for genealogists? Get your application in… time’s a-wastin’… and with a couple of these, time is running out…
Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “For the would-be scholars/,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 26 Dec 2022).
SOURCES