Michigan Genealogical Council
Proposed Process for Veteran Bounty Land Record (VBLR) Fundraising Campaign

Veteran Bounty Land Records Project with Jan Alpert
A Preserve the Pensions Project (recorded session)

The Veterans Bounty Lands Project is the newest digitization project with the National Archives and Records Administration, in partnership with the genealogical community. Just over $1,000,000 of the $2.5 million needed has been raised to date from FamilySearch, Daughters of the American Revolution, and other large contributors. The project will digitize over 360,000 bounty land files from the Revolutionary War through the Mexican War and commemorate the 250th anniversary of American Independence. Jan’s presentation will explain how genealogical societies can participate and join the 250th Celebration.

Following the March MGC presentation by Jan Alpert, Chair of the Records Preservation and Access Coalition (RPAC), to the Delegates of the Michigan Genealogical Council – saved and viewable at mimgc.org/veteran-bounty-land-records – the process proposed to the Delegate Council from the Board’s meeting in April is as follows:

1. Societies either encourage their members to view the presentation by Jan Alpert (utilizing the link above) OR share the video as part of a membership meeting and discuss their society’s efforts to support this campaign.
2. As each society determines how they will solicit their members, the society’s leadership may also consider finding a local organization, company or historical group that might be a sponsoring or supporting member of the society efforts – inviting them to match the donations from the society membership.
3. Announcing the campaign and providing pledge/donation forms to members (perhaps as part of annual membership renewal efforts) to allow members to become part of this nationwide event. A sample form is available for society use.
4. Societies would obtain pledges (via member-submitted forms) or donations (kept in a restricted fund in the society’s bank account) beginning immediately and extending through the fall of 2025. The member pledges/donations would be used to tally any matching funds businesses and organizations offer. This period – May through October – could also be used to provide media and local newspaper articles announcing the society’s plans and encouraging the public to join the campaign for the historic recognition of the 250th anniversary of American Independence.
5. At the end of October 2025, the Michigan Genealogical Council will request that societies report to the Board the amount raised to that point. The MGC Board will create a statewide tally of monies raised/pledged to the national RPAC team, representing the amount the State of Michigan is offering to the nationwide campaign. The MGC Board has approved a match, up to $10,000, for donations from our societies. If your society can obtain matching donations from local sources this can multiply your member’s donations several times.
6. When the national committee announces its request for the funds to be forwarded to RPAC for the National Archives (expected in early 2026), the MGC will announce a deadline for the receipt of these monies from the societies and their donors (including the matching businesses and organizations), to be forwarded as the total donations from our state. The total donations will be forwarded to RPAC from MGC representing our state.
7. Special commemorative certificates will be issued to every society contributing to the campaign, they will be listed on the MGC website and newsletter. Societies may provide a commemorative certificate to their donors at all levels or create a level of acknowledgement perhaps in local papers or society publications.
8. It is expected that the national RPAC team will provide a date by which all donations must be received as it is planned to have an event announcing the final amount contributed to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) near the July 4th holiday in 2026.

For questions about this process, please contact the Michigan Genealogical Council through your Delegate or the Board of Directors. Thank you for your efforts to make a historical contribution to the retention of records important to our nation’s founding.