TRUST MANAGEMENT
The Director of The Georgia Archives, two Officers of the Georgia Genealogical Society, and a Trust Officer from SunTrust Bank jointly administer the Foundation. The Trustees of the R. J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation will consider requests for grants from individuals and organizations interested in promoting genealogical research and study within the Foundation's stated guidelines.  Quality of research and format will also be considered by the Trustees.  Projects that otherwise meet the Foundation's guidelines may not be approved if there are research errors, critical omissions of records, or unusual/nonstandard format issues that make the text difficult to read.

The Trustees review applications quarterly.  Applicants must complete the application provided through this web site and mail in with all required attachments to R.J. Taylor , Jr. Foundation c/o SunTrust Bank, PO Box 4655, MC 221, Atlanta, GA 30302.  Deadlines:  March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31.

GRANT REQUIREMENTS

1. The data must be of a genealogical nature and it must concern primarily persons who were citizens of Georgia prior to 1851.  Generally, this means that the Foundation will fund projects that include records through 1920, but it may consider funding projects that are later than this date if it enables the researcher to include an intact set of records.  The value of having a single reference on a particular subject takes precedence over a specific cut-off year.
   
2. An applicant may be an individual, group of individuals, or a reputable organization.
   
3. The project may utilize either public or private records.
   
4. A form of publication (I.e. book, microform, or electronic data processing product) should be the final result. Printed publications must be hardbound and no more than 12 inches tall.
   
5. The project may be published in the form of an index, abstract, or transcription. If abstracted or transcribed, a full-name index must be included.
   
6. A copy of the project in final form (including electronic projects) should become a part of the permanent records of The Georgia Archives. 

See "Grant Guidelines" below for a more detailed information

Ineligible Projects

1. The Foundation encourages the writing and publication of well-documented county and church histories, but does not fund these projects.
2. Records that apply only to a specific family or surname do not qualify for a grant.
3. Historical books about towns, buildings, furniture, and various art forms do not meet the grant criteria.
4. The Foundation does not provide grants for records that have already been published, nor does it reprint previously published or out of print titles. 

GRANT GUIDELINES
After applications are received, the Trustees determine how well grant applications fit the criteria of the trust agreement, as well as analyze the need and use of the project and the reliability of the grant applicant. Quality of research and use of standard publishing formats for records will also be a consideration.  These guidelines are included to aid prospective applicants in selecting materials for grants.

1. The publication of the colonial, state, county, and city records of Georgia prior to 1851 would automatically receive consideration if they contain enough information to be genealogically significant.
   
2. Records produced after 1851 will still qualify as long as they contain information concerning citizens of Georgia before 1851. Generally, records dating to 1900 will fall within the guidelines.  Later records may be eligible (a) if they are included to complete a volume of a particular record which ends several years beyond 1900  (b) to fill gaps in county records that were re-recorded due to fire or loss or (c) to preserve inscriptions which are subject to loss from deterioration and destruction.  

  The following examples illustrate the scope of acceptable grants; however, many other subjects are suitable for grants.

Example 1: Pension applications of Civil War soldiers and widows. Some of the applications are dated after 1900, but they concern Civil War soldiers, most of whom were citizens of Georgia before 1851.

Example 2: An abstract or index of marriages, deeds, or other county records that begin about 1862 or shortly thereafter may qualify because most of the persons getting married, selling or buying land, and transacting other legal business would have been citizens of the state prior to 1851.

Example 3: Cemetery records of a specific area may apply even though some of the tombstones are of persons born after 1851.

Example 4: An entire project of abstracting or indexing all of a particular kind of record in a county may warrant a grant even if some of the persons in the records were not citizens of Georgia before 1851. The value of having a single reference on a particular subject takes precedence over a specific cut-off year.

3. Indexes and extracts of census records through 1870 are not encouraged for single counties. Indexes, although fallible, have already been published, and microfilm copies of census records are available in many libraries throughout the state. Extracts or indexes of persons born in Georgia, but appearing in census records of another state would, however, warrant consideration for a grant. Indexes of censuses after 1870 would also receive consideration at this time.
   
4. Cemetery Books:  The Foundation prefers to publish books that include all markers in a county or large city cemeteries where a significant number of burials were made.  All markers must be included for the entire county unless one cemetery is so large it would make a book of its own.  See the "Publication Information" section of this site for more information on suggested format and layout.
   
5. Arrangement:  The project must maintain the integrity of the original record by not rearranging material.  For example, court minutes must be recorded in the order of appearance in the original source.
   
6. Completeness: The work must include genealogical records of all names and topics contained in the record source. For example, newspaper projects must not stop in the middle of a year and must not select a single category such as obituaries.
   
7. Citation:  Book and page citation must be given for data.  Content and data from other sources must be clearly identifed through the use of brackets and citations. The original source document, or copies, must be available to the public for verification purposes.
   
8. Index:  The project must include a full-name index of all persons mentioned in the source, with the exception of ministers in marriage records.  The inclusion of place names is option but desireable.  See the "Publication Information" section of this site for more information on the suggested format for marriage records.
    
9. Accuracy:  The project must not contain significant errors and/or omissions.
   
10. Quality: Applications that contain errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation in the introduction, preface, forward etc.. will not be considered.  Arrangement of data must be in a clear format and easily readable font style and size.  See the "Publication Information" section of this site for more information.
    
11. Databases:  A work produced in electronic format must allow the user to recreate the record into its original order.  For example, a database of marriage licenses or deed records must include the data fields for the volume and page number so that the original order of the volumes may be recreated.
    
12. Ineligible Records:  Projects not eligible for funding include:  census records, county histories, church histories, family histories or journals.  Selective compilations of various records pertaining only to a particular group of persons are not eligible for funding.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1. A full grant is intended to defray a significant portion of the cost of publishing (print or electronic).  It is not intended to cover the entire project cost (researcher's time, travel etc..).  The recipient is allowed to copyright the publication in his or her name and to receive the profits from it.
   
2. The recipient must acknowledge the use of the grant from the R. J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation in the publication.
   
3. In addition to the amount granted, the Foundation will purchase 37 copies of the publication for specific libraries. (An exception applies if the grant awarded covers only part of the cost of a series of volumes. In this case, the Foundation may purchase the series only for The Georgia Archives.)
4. The recipient will be furnished mailing labels, mailers, and copies of a letter for the mailing of the 37 books.  The Foundation will reimburse the recipient for shipping and mailing costs. 
   
5. Grant recipients are encouraged to forward copies of publicity or reviews generated by the publication to the R. J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation.

Policy on Multiple Grants

1. There is no limit on the number of grants that may be made in a calendar year to Genealogical Societies or Organizations.
2. Grants awarded to individuals will be limited to two grants per calendar year.
3. Because special projects or opportunities can arise where the R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation Trustees may want to make more than two grants to an individual within a given calendar year, this limit may be waived on a grant by grant basis by a unanimous vote of the Trustees.

Purchase of Published Sources

1. An author may request that the Foundation purchase up to 37 copies of his or her recently published, hard-bound, privately funded book for library distribution. The Foundation may elect to do so if the publication meets R. J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation guidelines.
2. The author should send one copy of the publication with a cover letter and promotional materials to the R. J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation.
3. If approved, the author will be furnished mailing labels, mailers and copies of a letter for the mailing of the books. The cost of postage will be reimbursed.

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