Publication Grants

The Grants Committee meets four times during the financial year (April-March) to assess grant applications.

The next deadline for grant applications: 12th June 2026 (for the July 2026 Grants Committee meeting)

The next meeting of the Grants Committee: July 2026

Further meetings will be held as follows:

• October 2026 (deadline for applications: 11th September 2026)
• January 2027 (deadline for applications: 11th December 2026)

Applicants seeking publication grant support must complete a Publication Grant application form. Download an application form here or contact the Gaelic Books Council to request a copy. The application form is available in Scottish Gaelic and English versions, and in Word or PDF format. Applications must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the next Grants Committee meeting to enable them to be processed. The Gaelic Books Council does not provide retrospective funding for books already in print prior to assessment.

In addition to a completed application form, all applicants must supply the following:

a) a typed electronic copy of the full manuscript in draft or final form;

b) written estimates from all relevant service providers, e.g. typesetter, cover designer, etc (including a minimum of two estimates from different printers);

c) a breakdown of all relevant in-house production costs.

Please note, a decision regarding your application may be delayed if you fail to submit all requested material. For further information about completing an application form, please consult our Guidelines and Criteria. If you require assistance with your application, please contact the Literature and Publishing Department.

Only one commission grant application and one publication grant application per title will be considered. Once an application has been submitted, further applications for the same type of grant will not be accepted for that title.

Please send completed application forms and all supporting material to:

Literature and Publishing Department by email (Please mark the subject heading in emails ‘Publication grant application’)

or by post to:

Literature and Publishing Department, The Gaelic Books Council, 32 Mansfield Street, Glasgow G11 5QP

Applicants will be notified of a decision within two weeks of a Grants Committee meeting. If an application is successful in receiving a publication grant, a formal letter of offer will be sent to the applicant by post, with one copy to be signed and returned within 30 days.

Applications are welcome from publishers seeking assistance with some or all of the costs relating to the publishing process in the following areas:

• Copy editing and proofing
• Illustrations and cover design (see ‘Additional notes – Artwork’ below)
• Typesetting
• Indexing
• Printing
• Audio production (CD/DVD/MP3/other appropriate format)
• Digital production (text only)

There are a number of formats which the Gaelic Books Council does not support through the publication grant fund. These include:

• Stationery
• Promotional material such as cards and calendars, websites and blogs
• Games, apps, maps and leisure projects
• Textbooks or educational material specifically for schools (contact Stòrlann)
• Technical guides or handbooks
• Digital-only publications without a clear DRM (Digital Rights Management) strategy to prevent unauthorised redistribution
• Publications with no, or minimal (less than 10%) Scottish Gaelic content

Successful applications for individual publication grants could receive up to the following levels of support:

Maximum/minimum support
We will not normally provide support above £5,500 or more than 80% of the costs, whichever is lower, for any individual publication. Applications for assistance with publication costs lower than £100 will not be considered.

Books (maximum levels)

• Scottish Gaelic only publications – up to 80% of costs (up to a maximum of £5,500) per title
• Bilingual publications – up to 50% of costs (up to a maximum of £4,000) per title
• Reprints/reissues – up to 50% of costs (up to a maximum of £2,500) per title
• Publications with less than 10% Scottish Gaelic content are not usually eligible for support

Magazines/Periodicals (maximum levels)

• Scottish Gaelic only publications – up to 80% of costs (up to a maximum of £5,500) per title
• Bilingual publications – up to 50% of costs (up to a maximum of £1,500) per title
• Reprints/reissues – up to 50% of costs (up to a maximum of £1,000) per title
• Publications with less than 10% Scottish Gaelic content are not usually eligible for support

The guideline amounts above refer to the maximum levels available to support the publishing process (and not, for example, translation costs). The guideline amounts are reviewed annually.

Date of next review: November 2025

Assessment

All funding decisions are based upon the Gaelic Books Council’s evaluation of the information provided by the publisher assessed against certain criteria. For further information, please consult our Guidelines and Criteria.

Advance payment – 30% on approval

In order to assist with the pre-publication costs of funded individual titles, the Gaelic Books Council will provide an initial instalment of up to 30% of the publication grant. This will only be paid after a contract has been agreed by both parties. The balance of the grant will be paid on publication of the work and once verification of actual expenditure has been received.

Priority genres 2025-26

In 2025-26, the Gaelic Books Council will particularly welcome applications within the following areas:

• Prose and fiction in book and/or audiobook and/or ebook format;
• Books for teenagers;
• Original Gaelic books for children;
• Audiobooks in general;
• Zines.

Priority is given to work originating in Scottish Gaelic (i.e. not translated from English or other languages), however, we will, of course, consider applications for most types of work. If funding is especially limited, priority will be given to good quality applications within the areas listed above. Priority genres are reviewed annually.

Artwork

Funding may be available for cover design through Gaelic Books Council publication grants.

Illustrations, photographs or other artwork which enhances the literary composition of the text may also be eligible for publication grant funding. Publishers wishing to secure assistance towards the cost of illustrations (e.g. copyright/permission fees or original artwork/photographs) should provide relevant details and figures on the Publication Grant application form, along with a copy of the related estimate.

Funding for artwork that is an integral and major part of the work (e.g. traditional comic book or graphic novel formats) is not normally provided through publication grants but may be eligible for commission support.

Animations embedded within, or provided with, e-books are not eligible for Gaelic Books Council funding.

Translations

The Gaelic Books Council gives specific priority to supporting new work originally written in Scottish Gaelic. Applications for support towards the cost of publishing material translated from another language into Scottish Gaelic are also welcome, although it is likely that levels of support will be lower than for original Gaelic material. A publisher wishing to apply for assistance with the cost of translating work into Scottish Gaelic may consider applying for a Commission Grant.

New Publishers Fund

We wish to encourage new Scottish Gaelic publishers, and may be willing to consider increased levels of support (up to 100% of relevant costs, on a per title basis) for the first two titles by a new Scottish Gaelic publisher. This funding would be subject to certain criteria being met, including provision of a detailed business plan. Please get in touch if you are considering becoming involved in Gaelic publishing – we would be delighted to hear from you.

Publishing programme

The Gaelic Books Council welcomes applications for individual titles, but is also keen to assist publishers who plan to issue more than one Scottish Gaelic title over an initial period of 12 months. Please get in touch if you are a publisher wishing to discuss the development of a publication programme.

Environmental sustainability

The Gaelic Books Council recommends that, where possible, printed products are sourced from FSC-certified printers and materials.

If you feel your application has been dealt with unfairly, in the first instance please contact (within 14 days of receiving confirmation of the Grant decision):

John Storey, Head of Literature and Publishing, the Gaelic Books Council, 32 Mansfield Street, Glasgow G11 5QP

Email: john AT gaelicbooks DOT org

More information on the grants appeal process is available here.

For further information about publication grants, please contact us:

Tel: 0141 337 6211

Email

Literature and Publishing Department

The Gaelic Books Council, 32 Mansfield Street, Glasgow G11 5QP