The Genetic Genealogist

Last week I received a press release announcing the creation of a non-profit organization to raise and disseminate funds to increase original research in genetic genealogy testing (some of which will undoubtedly be reported in the open-source Journal of Genetic Genealogy). The DNA Fund also has a blog, available here. Following is the press release:

SALIDA, CA – The DNA Fund, (www.dnafund.org), a new non-profit organization has been established to fund DNA testing scholarships and grants for ancestral DNA studies. Currently in Phase 1 of the Fund’s launch, testing monies will be raised through fundraising affiliates. Scheduled for Phase 2, the Fund will accept donations and in Phase 3, coordinate grants for DNA projects and studies.

“DNA testing is usually considered a luxury item, but the knowledge that it provides is invaluable. The goal of The DNA Fund is to test as many people as possible and share the information in the public domain through publications and databases.” says DNA Fund President, Katherine Borges. “People can support The DNA Fund just by using our affiliates for their normal shopping habits. The affiliates give a percentage of the purchases back which can be channeled into DNA testing funds.”

The DNA Fund is the first entity of its kind to provide funding for public genetic genealogy projects and other ancestral DNA studies.

Some of the projects proposed by The DNA Fund for funding include:

• Eastern/Balkans/Middle East R1b 67-100 STR marker haplotypes of a small sample of the rarer clades via upgrades and also fully SNP tested.
• Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Punjabi population of Pakistan.
• Hungarian-Bukovina Y-chromosome testing.
• Investigating the Phylogeny of mtDNA Haplogroup T based on Full mtDNA Sequences
• SNP research of internal branching within Haplogroup F, along branches leading to [IJ] and G