The following announcement was written by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG):

Applications for BCG’s Paul Edward Sluby Sr. African American Scholarship

are due 15 March 2022.

Applications for BCG’s Paul Edward Sluby Sr. African American Scholarship

are due 15 March 2022.

Paul Edward Sluby Sr. (1934–2019)

(Photograph used with the permission of Patricia Carter Sluby, PhD)

Applications for scholarships for African Americans to participate in national genealogical institutes are due 15 March 2022, the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) announced today. This scholarship is named after the first board-certified African American genealogist, Paul Edward Sluby Sr.

Scholarships will be awarded to up to three students who are African American, to cover up to $1,700 of the tuition, travel, and lodging expense of attending one of five premier national institutes. 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.

The application form and supporting material is posted on BCG’s website at https://bcgcertification.org/learning/african-american-scholarship/.

Applicants are required to submit an essay and a sample of their genealogical research. It is anticipated that scholarship recipients will be awarded in May 2022, so that recipients can take part in institutes scheduled for 2023. Those wishing to apply should fill out the required application form and submit with supporting materials to office@bcgcertification.org.

The five institutes eligible for scholarships for tuition, travel, and lodging expenses (where applicable) are:

• Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), held annually at the National Archives and other locations in Washington, DC, and College Park, Maryland in August.
• Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, holds two separate week-long sessions in June and July.
• Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research (IGHR), held in Athens, Georgia, in July, under the auspices of the Georgia Genealogical Society.
• Midwest African American Genealogical Institute (MAAGI), based at the Allen County Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, currently offered for three days in early July.
• Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), sponsored by the Utah Genealogical Society, Salt Lake City held in January each year.

Where a scholarship is announced after the close of registration for a particular institute, BCG will work with the institute to seek available seats for scholarship recipients in desired courses. Applicants should exhibit intermediate or higher skills that have prepared them for an in-depth learning experience. There is no age limit or income requirement.

“The Board for Certification of Genealogists is pleased to sponsor attendance at these high-quality educational offerings,” said President LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG. “This scholarship program is designed to increase the number of under-represented communities in the ranks of Certified Genealogists®, in line with BCG’s core missions.”

Elyse Hill, CG
BCG News Release Coordinator

The words Certified Genealogist and its acronym, CG, are a registered certification mark, and the designations Certified Genealogical Lecturer and its acronym, CGL, are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation.