The American Society of Genealogists has awarded four Continuing Genealogical Research Grants in the 2026 grant cycle. This year, the ASG received thirty-four grant applications, arriving from twenty-four states plus Canada and Israel. The range, excellence, and impact of the projects represented by these applications continues to grow. The 2026 recipients of American Society of Genealogists Continuing Genealogical Research Grants:

Arun Konanur of London, Ontario Canada. To develop an instructional framework that documents a generalized practical methodology for Genealogical Bioinfomatics (the science of collecting and analyzing complex biological data such as genetic codes).  Genealogical Bioinformatics has been instrumental in developing new tools and techniques to address long-standing problems in genetic genealogy, such as endogamy and the utility of shared matches. Additionally, bioinformatic tools and methods can work cooperatively, and are AI-friendly – allowing Artificial Intelligence programs to bring pattern recognition and data mining techniques to bear on large collections of DNA data. To fill a need for tools and materials that can be used for self-study or employment in a course on Genealogical Bioinformatics, and ultimately to facilitate the development of new tools and methods, foster debate and discussion, and facilitate peer review. The project goal is a finished manuscript, such as an eBook and/or a print-on-demand bound copy, available to students and interested parties.

Gary L. Ball-Kilbourne of Fargo, North Dakota. To examine, transcribe, scan, and translate as needed (from Medieval Latin), 38 original records from extant English manorial records of several manors related to the parish of Wood Ditton in Cambridgeshire, created between roughly 1440 and 1640, as part of genealogical research on Thomas Kilbourne, a colonial resident of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Research to be conducted at the Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, and The National Archives (London), the Cambridgeshire Archives (Ely), the Cambridge University Library (Cambridge), and the Suffolk Archives (Ipswich). To trace family history back before the origin of parish registers in 1538, manorial records form one of the most significant but inaccessible groups of records documenting the lives of ordinary English people, particularly those dwelling in rural areas. Outcomes will include one or more articles involving case studies focusing on the use of English manorial records in genealogy, as well as the preparation of one or more lectures.

Madison King-Vasquez for the Sand Creek Massacre Foundation, Eads, Colorado (sandcreekmassacrefoundation.org). To develop a secure web portal, “The Sand Creek Heritage Portal: One Lens on Lineage,” for tribal use holding a genealogical database of Cheyenne and Arapaho people who are descended from those present at the Sand Creek Massacre on November 29, 1864. The project is to complete, convert, and upload the genealogical data collected over a period of fifty years and donated by Craig Moore. The dataset consists of 57 individual text files, each for a different person who was present at the massacre, with outlines of their descendants in the ensuing 160 years (roughly averaging 300 individuals in each descendancy file).

Shahidah Ahmad of Watertown, Massachusetts. To locate, collect, and publish funeral programs from historically African American communities in rural regions of South Carolina. Funeral programs offer a wealth of information on family and community relationships. Research previously conducted and funded covered the communities of Cottageville, Colleton County; and Holly Hill, Orangeburg County.  This year, research will continue with Privateer, Sumter County.  The method involves conducting oral history interviews with community elders for leads to other funeral programs held by families. The programs are photographed, scanned, and indexed with names and associated family relationships. The result is a searchable digital archive published online at wombswellsandwaterways.com.