Williams DNA Testing Fund - Rules and Administration
1. Fund Purpose and Use: The primary goal of the Williams DNA Project is to identify relationships among participants, and to map the various worldwide Williams family lines using genetic Y-DNA testing. The purpose of the Williams DNA Testing Fund is to provide financial assistance, by means of privately donated monies, to both existing and potential participants who want to expand the Williams DNA Project but cannot afford the cost of testing because of their financial state. The money in the fund can only be applied to the purchase of Williams DNA testing kits with Family Tree DNA (FTDNA).
2. Ownership: Participants should take some personal ownership in their involvement. With that in mind, the fund will cover a reasonable portion of the costs associated with testing on a scholarship-type basis. The fund recipients will be expected to pay the remaining portion of the test costs.
3. Applicable Tests, Percentages and Amounts: Funding will only be provided for 12- and 25-marker Y-DNA testing as these tests are the primary tools used to further the project goals. Other tests, including the 37-marker, SNP, and mtDNA tests, are more specialized and by themselves do not contribute to the project goals. To prevent possible problems due to bias and inconsistent practices, the monies from the fund will be distributed based on a standard scale as follows:
12-marker kit: 60% – costs $99 – fund pays $59, tester pays $40
25-marker kit: 60% – costs $148– fund pays $88, tester pays $60
12- to 25-marker upgrade: 60% – costs $49– fund pays $30, tester pays $19
(Note: The recipient will be responsible for paying any shipping and handling fees; these are generally minimal, and not incurred on the upgrade test.)
4. Method of Payment: The recipient will not receive money directly from the fund; rather, it will be applied to any balance they owe for their test kit. For the donation to be applied, the tester must be invoiced for their test kit; an online credit card transaction cannot be used. FTDNA will be notified of the donation and will apply it to the invoice that is sent to the participant. It is then the participant's responsibility to pay the remaining balance by either returning a check or money order with the invoice or calling FTDNA and performing a credit card transaction over the phone. Any participant who receives money from the fund for their kit will be expected to complete and return the kit within 30 days of the date that FTDNA mails the kit (invoice) to the participant.
5. Donation Based: This is a donation based endeavor and is only possible because of the generosity of others. None of the money will have any commercial "strings attached"; i.e., there will be no expectation of use or endorsement of any commercial service or product tied to either the actual donation or disbursement. Put simply, this fund exists only on a purely philanthropist plane. It is hoped that, when possible, people will continue to add to the fund so that is does not become depleted. Donations can be made a number of ways, including credit card, PayPal and via the US Mail. Donations can be made publicly, anonymously, and in honor of another. Any donations made to the fund will be available regardless of which Williams line a potential recipient descends from. In other words, donations cannot be earmarked for a certain lineage.To donate, use this link: http://www.familytreedna.com/contribution.html.
6. Willingness to Participate: There is a clear relationship between traditional genealogy and genealogical DNA testing. DNA testing without traditional research is fruitless and a waste of money. Prospective recipients must be willing to contribute their own information. To reinforce the necessity of information sharing, participants who seek assistance from the donation fund will be required to provide the project administrator with as detailed a pedigree (paternal lineage only) as the recipient has. Understanding that some people simply haven't been able to find significant depth of information, a minimum of three generations should be identified (self, parents and grandparents), including birth/death dates and places and marriages for the paternal ancestors. Anyone who does not have this level of information will need to work directly with the administrator in determining their eligibility. Also, the recipient will be required to sign the FTDNA release form, allowing FTDNA to compare test results with others.
7. Time Between Assistance Applications: In an effort to prolong the availability of the fund and to curb any possible abuse, participants will be limited to one grant per year. In other words, if a participant receives assistance on August 1 for a 12-marker kit, they cannot receive additional assistance for the 12- to 25-marker upgrade until August 1 of the following year.
8. Administration and Dispersion of Funds: The actual fund and the money it contains are kept and maintained by FTDNA. The administration of the Williams DNA Testing Fund and the dispersion of any of its monies are at the complete discretion of the fund administrator. The administrator also has the ability and responsibility to make any necessary changes to the way the fund is administered.
9. Publication of Funds, Donors, Recipients and Fund Status: In order to
provide at least a minimal level of visibility and oversight to the fund, without violating both the donors' and recipients' right to privacy, certain information will and will not be published on the Williams DNA Project website. Specifically, the names of people who donate money to the fund will be published unless they have chosen to remain anonymous, in which case an "Anonymous Donation" indication will be made, along with the date of the donation. Also, donors who have given money "in memory of" may choose to have this indicated on the website in lieu of, or in addition to, their own names. Fund recipients' names will not be published on the website. However, an indicator of what test was funded, and when, will be published. This will enable the project to see how the fund is being used without indicating any individual participant's need for assistance. Finally, no donation amounts or available funds amounts will be shown on the website. Instead, an indicator graphic will be used to indicate when the fund is in a "green,"
"yellow," or "red" status. Green will indicate that the fund exceeds $100; yellow will indicate less than $100; and red will indicate that the fund has been exhausted.
10. Requesting Funds: Because the fund is for those in financial need, a prospective recipient must complete the Testing Fund Grant Request Form and demonstrate a clear need for assistance. This is not intended to pry into personal finances, but rather to give the administrator enough information to make a reasonable assessment of need. |
Williams DNA Testing Fund 