Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Opinion: Funding Available For U.S./Canadian Irish Genealogy Groups

The application process for the 2016-2017 round of the Emigrant Support Program (ESP) was recently opened. The main focus of the ESP is the welfare of Irish emigrants abroad and the majority of funding goes to a broad coalition of emigrant support organizations. However, a sizable portion is also allocated to organizations that focus on Irish culture and heritage. This is because of some of the key objectives of the ESP[1]  

  • celebrate, maintain and strengthen the links between Ireland and the Global Irish
  • foster a more vibrant sense of community and of Irish identity

The ESP is particularly interested in supporting projects that  focus on "heritage and community activities that promote Ireland’s identity and maintain vibrant Irish communities abroad."[2]

The many societies across the United States and Canada that partly or exclusively focus on Irish genealogy clearly fall under this remit (see my GSI map to find them all). No doubt, many of them would like to offer more services, transcribe or digitize local genealogy documents, or expand the ability of their members to trace their Irish ancestors. One of the main stumbling blocks to doing this is probably funding. Therefore, I strongly encourage such organizations to consider the ESP as a way to access such funding.

The total amount available has increased year-on-year since 2013. The money allocated to organizations in the United States jumped sharply in 2014, the year for which the most recent figures are available (table 1).

Table 1: 2013-2016 Emigrant Support Programme Funding
Year
Total Funding
Allocation to U.S. organizations
2016
Figures not yet published
Figures not yet published
2015
€12,595,000[3]
Figures not yet published
2014
€11,595,000[4]
€3,058,913[5]
2013
€10,539,850[6]
€1,571,726[7]

Of that 3.058m euro that went to U.S. organizations, just under 10% went to those in the cultural/heritage area. However, funding for cultural/heritage organizations increased by almost 29% when comparing 2014 to 2013.

Table 2: U.S. Cultural/Heritage Organizations Who Received Funding in 2014[8]
Organization
Location
Amount Received
American Irish Historical Society
New York, NY
€49,287
Battery Heritage Foundation
New York, NY
€11,921
Irish-American Crossroads Festival
San Francisco, CA
€7,947
Glucksman Ireland House, New York University
New York, NY
€27,946
Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Foundation
Danbury, CT
€3,791
Hudson Valley Irish Festival                         
Peekskill, NY
€6,824
Irish American Heritage Center
Chicago, IL
€8,011
Irish American Heritage Museum
Albany, NY
€7,583
Irish Cultural Center of New England        
Canton, MA
€103,557
Irish Heritage Centre Charitable Foundation, Inc. (Irish Heritage Center of Greater Cincinnati)
Cincinnati, OH
€15,894
Irish Heritage Club
Seattle, WA[9]
€10,331
Irish Heritage Society of Milford
Milford, CT
€7,947
Society of Commodore John Barry
Philadelphia, PA
€8,972
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT
€27,815
TOTAL
€297,826

Table 3: U.S. Cultural/Heritage Organizations Who Received Funding in 2013[10]
Organization
Location
Amount Received
American Irish Historical Society
New York, NY
€55,535
Glucksman Ireland House, New York University
New York, NY
€24,421
Hudson Valley Irish Festival                         
Peekskill, NY
€6,800
Irish American Heritage Museum
Albany, NY
€7,347
Irish Cultural Center of New England        
Canton, MA
€82,863
Mission of our Lady of the Holy Rosary
Heritage Project at Watson House
New York, NY    
€18,737
Society of Commodore John Barry
Philadelphia, PA
€6,759
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT
€28,852
TOTAL
€231,314

Some of the heritage centers that received funding have occasional genealogy events. However, none of the funded organizations have genealogy as a core part of what they do.  Only two excellent examples stand out. The Irish American Heritage Museum has a resident genealogist who is available to assist people with their research.[11] The Mission of our Lady of the Holy Rosary Heritage Project in New York City digitized ledgers that are very useful for Irish genealogy research in 1880-1920 New York City and made them freely available online. They received funding in 2014.

There are two relevant categories under which Irish genealogy groups in the U.S. and Canada can apply:[12]

  • Capital - Projects involving the construction, refurbishment or purchase of capital assets. This includes projects related to website development/software acquisition.
  • Heritage - Project involving the promotion and maintenance of Irish heritage and identity overseas.

Full details of how to apply are available on the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.



[1] Irish Abroad Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  Overview of the Emigrant Support Programme. 2016. https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/alldfawebsitemedia/ourrolesandpolicies/theirishabroad/2016-Overview-of-the-Emigrant-Support-Programme.pdf: accessed 23 January 2016.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Department of Foreign Affairs. Global Irish: Irish Diaspora Policy. 2015. p. 26.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 2014 Emigrant Grant Summary. 2015. https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/alldfawebsitemedia/ourrolesandpolicies/theirishabroad/2014-Emigrant-Support-Programme-Funding.pdf: accessed 23 January 2016.
[6] Dept. of Foreign Affairs. 2013 Emigrant Grant Summary. 2014. https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/alldfawebsitemedia/ourrolesandpolicies/ESP-Funding-2013.pdf: accessed 4 March 2015.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Dept. of Foreign Affairs. 2014 Emigrant Grant Summary. 2015. https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/alldfawebsitemedia/ourrolesandpolicies/theirishabroad/2014-Emigrant-Support-Programme-Funding.pdf: accessed 23 January 2016.
[9] No location information was provided in the Grant Summary document. The only organization with this exact name is in Seattle, WA. There is also the 'Irish Heritage Club of Bakersfield' in California.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Disclosure: this genealogist is Lisa Walsh Dougherty who has written posts for this blog.
[12] Irish Abroad Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  Overview of the Emigrant Support Programme. 2016. https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/alldfawebsitemedia/ourrolesandpolicies/theirishabroad/2016-Overview-of-the-Emigrant-Support-Programme.pdf: accessed 23 January 2016.

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