The Gàidheil air Adhart Fund
Comhairle na Gàidhlig, in partnership with Iomairtean na Gàidhlig and the Registry of Motor Vehicles, developed a Gaelic symbol licence plate celebrating the Gaelic language, culture and identity of Nova Scotia. The plate features the symbol of the Gaels in Nova Scotia with the words ALBA NUADH at the bottom. The Gaelic symbol licence plate is available at any Access Nova Scotia or Registry of Motor Vehicles Office.
The registration fee for a Gaelic symbol licence plate is the standard vehicle registration fee associated with the class and weight of the vehicle being registered. In addition, a $50 donation is collected at the time of initial issuance of the plate and on renewals. The $50 donation will be directed to the Gàidheil air Adhart (Gaels Forward) Special Purpose Fund and 100% of the proceeds go towards supporting Gaelic cultural programming in Nova Scotia.
Applications are currently closed.
open to applications
the deadline for which is October 30th 2024. Please use the button on the left to apply and the button on the right to download the budget template. We can't wait to receive your application! Gura math a théid leibh! | Good luck!
If you have any questions send us an email at comhairlenagaidhlig@gmail.com
2023 Recipients
Mabou Gaelic and Historical Society
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig was pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grant to the Mabou Gaelic and Historical Society to support their project “Gaelic Singers and their Songs” documenting the Gaelic singing tradition in Mabou.
Mabou Gaelic and Historical Society - Gaelic Singers and Their Songs
Stephanie Conn
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig was pleased to award funds to Stephanie Conn who received funding for the first Féis a' Chladaich a Tuath | The North Shore Féis. The one day celebration of the Gaelic community and culture of the North Shore of Cape Breton consisted of a Milling frolic, cultural workshops, and talks. It was well attended by community members and preparations for the Féis to become an annual event are already well underway!
Stephanie Conn - North Shore Féis
Victoria Rankin
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig was pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grant to Victoria Rankin to support her travel to Scotland where she engaged in various learning opportunities to further her knowledge of Gaelic language and culture.
Victoria Rankin - Travel and Gaelic Learning
Rankin School of the Narrows Students
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig was pleased to support Gaelic language students at The Rankin School of the Narrows who received funding to run their Cofaidh Cairt program in the school as part of their Gaelic language program. They went class to class offering coffee, tea, cookies, and conversation to encourage the use of Gaelic in the school.
Cofaidh Cairt - Rankin School of the Narrows Students
Mabou Gaelic and Historical Society
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig was pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grant to Brittany Rankin-MacDonald to support Tunnagan Beaga. A Gaelic playgroup for early learners.
Britany Rankin-MacDonald - Tunnagan Beaga
Joanne MacIntyre
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig was pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grant to Joanne MacIntyre in support of her students' Gaelic trip. The Students visited various parts of Ireland's Gaeltacht giving them a plethora of opportunity to explore wider Gaelic culture in its Irish Context.
Joanne MacIntyre - Dalbrae Gaelic Trip
2022 Recipients
Leland Smith
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig is pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grant to Leland Smith! Leland Smith has been funded to attend the "Na Gaisgich Òga" program at Colaisde na Gàidhlig. This project/opportunity will give Leland the chance to have a broad learning experience in Gaelic Music, language, and history with his peer group in a fun and enriching way!
Leland Smith - Gaelic language lessons
Hannah Krebs
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Hannah Krebs was awarded a grant on behalf of a group of young Gaelic learners to facilitate an advanced Gaelic Class delivered by Margie Beaton. The class allowed them to tackle higher-level Gaelic grammar and structures that they would not have been able to otherwise.
Hannah Krebs - Gaelic language classes
Iain MacLeod
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
The funding awarded to Iain MacLeod towards his attendance at An Cùrsa Bogaidh at the Gaelic College. During the course of this program he and other students had the opportunity to spend an entire month immersed in the Gaelic language..
Iain MacLeod - An Cùrsa Bogaidh
David Rankin
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
David Rankin (left) was awarded Gàdheil air Adhart funding to contribute to his studies through a trip to Scotland. Where he was able to learn from Gaelic speaking priests correct ways to serve parishioners in Gaelic so that he can offer these spiritual services in Gaelic to Nova Scotians.
David Rankin - Gaelic in Ministry
Abby Hanson
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig is pleased to award one of the Gàidheil air Adhart grants to Abby Hanson. Abby will be putting the funds toward An Cùrsa Bogaidh offered by Colaisde na Gàidhlig and Cape Breton University. She is extremely grateful to Comhairle na Gàidhlig for their support and recognition of her efforts in promoting the Gaelic Culture of Nova Scotia.
Abby Hanson - An Cùrsa Bogaidh
Clifford Lee
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Clifford Lee was awarded funding to help support his sons learning of Gaelic at Taigh Sgoile na Drochaide. When the family moved back to Cape Breton, they excitedly enrolled their oldest son Lochlan
into the inaugural class of the Taigh Sgoile na Drochaide. Not only did it offer a small class size with excellent support, they were most excited about the immersion into Gaelic language and culture that their son would have. Lochlan has enjoyed learning Gaelic and is coming home speaking more words and phrases. He is excited to learn more about his culture, especially the music and stories of the Gaels!
Clifford Lee - Taigh Sgoile na Drochaide tuition
Victoria Rankin
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Victoria Rankin was awarded funds which were used towards supporting private instruction in Gàidhlig aig Baile teaching methodology. She completed this training in the home of Hannah Krebs, who is well practiced in Gàidhlig aig Baile teaching methodologies.
Victoria Rankin - Gàidhlig aig Baile Training
Bradan Press
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Bradan Press was awarded funds which were used towards supporting the development of a free audio book of the Graphic Novel "Ás a' Chàmhanaich by Angus MacLeod.
Bradan Press - Free Audio Book
Robert Pringle
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Robert Pringle was awarded Gàdheil air Adhart funding to contribute to his facilitation of Gaelic language classes in his community in Richmond County.
Robert Pringle - Gaelic Community Classes
The Richmond Highlanders
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig is pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grant to the Richmond Highlanders Society! The Richmond Highlanders have been funded to run a series of Gaelic Céilidhs for youth.
The Richmond Highlanders - Online Gaelic Learning
Lili Watson
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig is pleased to award one of the Gàidheil air Adhart grants to Lili Watson. Lili will be putting the funds toward traveling to Scotland to immerse herfel in Gaelic language and culture as well as completing mentorship hours with Dr. Iain Seathach (John Shaw).
Lily Watson - Travel for Education & Mentorship with Iain Seathach
2021 Recipients
Abby Hanson
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig is pleased to award one of the Gàidheil air Adhart grants to Abby Hanson. Abby will be putting the funds toward her fiddle and piano accompaniment lessons as well as participating in the An Cùrsa Bogaidh program offered by Colaisde na Gàidhlig/The Gaelic College and Cape Breton University. She is extremely grateful to Comhairle na Gàidhlig for their support and recognition of her efforts in promoting the Gaelic Culture of Nova Scotia.
Abby Hanson - Gaelic Language and Music Lessons
Còmhlan Filmeadairean Gàidhlig na h-Albann Nuaidh
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig is pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grants to Còmhlan Filmeadairean Gàidhlig na h-Albann Nuaidh! Thanks to a Gàidheil air Adhart grant, Còmhlan Filmeadairean Gàidhlig na h-Albann Nuaidh is registering as a society, has started board meetings, and is in the process of planning a series of online filmmaking workshops and a weekend filmmaking program for later in the year.
Còmhlan Filmeadairean Gàidhlig na h-Albann Nuaidh - New Gaelic Filmakers Society
Bradan Press
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig is pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grant to the Biorachan Beag agus Biorachan Mór Audiobook Project! Last year Bradan Press published a paperback version of Biorachan Beag agus Biorachan Mór with illustrations by Eimilidh Dhòmhnallach / Emily MacDonald and this spring they produced an audiobook edition with the support of the grant.
Bradan Press also received funding for their Luran agus a’ Mhaighdeann-mhara Book Project.
Bradan Press - Gaelic Book Creation and Publishing
The Richmond Highlanders
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig is pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grant to the Richmond Highlanders Society! The Richmond Highlanders have been funded to host small social sessions in-person (Anns an Taigh-Cheilidh-In the Ceilidh House) and online through zoom classes. This project not only included teaching from a fun and fluent Gaelic storyteller, but also three local youth mentors from Na Gaisgich Oga who are able to share their new skills and stories.
The Richmond Highlanders - Online Gaelic Learning
The Gaelic Song Education Project
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
Comhairle na Gàidhlig is pleased to award a Gàidheil air Adhart grant to The Gaelic Song Education Project! They are working with Gaelic teachers to produce high-quality and accessible Gaelic language lesson plans organized around Gaelic songs. Participants are being offered the opportunity to create lesson plans -- for which they will be paid -- organized around songs known in Nova Scotia. These lesson plans will then be published under a CC license and made publicly accessible for anyone to adapt and use.
The Gaelic Song Education Project - Gaelic Language Lesson Plans
2020 Recipients
Cathy Campbell
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
The Gaelic Council is happy to award Gàidheil air Adhart funding to Cathy Campbell to contribute to Gaelic language development in her community by hiring a visiting instructor to run a day long immersion class. This class was run through Red Islands Conversational Gaelic, an initiative that Cathy herself introduced to the area.
Jennifer Mombourquette
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
The Gaelic Council is happy to award Gàidheil air Adhart funding to Jennifer Mombourquette on behalf of the Richmond Highlanders. This grant will be used to fund online Gaelic language and culture classes for their dancers and their siblings.
Cathy Campbell - Red Islands Gaelic Class
Jennifer Mombourquette - Online Gaelic Learning for the Richmond Highlanders
The Gaelic College
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
The Gaelic Council is happy to award Gàidheil air Adhart funding to Colaisde na Gàidhlig in support of the development of new programming in the Gaelic language. This will include a Conversation Course, a Writing Course and a Transcription course offering unique opportunities for learners to further their skills in Gaelic. Each of these courses will be for intermediate level Gaelic learners and will run for a duration of 10 weeks.
The Gaelic College - Online Gaelic Classes
Bradan Press
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
The Gaelic Council is happy to award Gàidheil air Adhart funding to Emily McEwan-Fujita is support of two endeavours that she is leading. The first of these is to partially fund the Illustration of the Gaelic folk tale Biorachan Mòr agus Biorachan Beag by a Cape Breton Artist Eimilidh Dhòmhnullach. The second is to help fund the French translation of G is for Gael: An Alphabet of Nova Scotia’s Gaelic Culture written by Shelayne Hanson and illustrated by Etta Moffat.
Bradan Press - Gaelic Book Illustrations and Publishing
A.J. Fraser
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
The Gaelic Council is happy to award Gàidheil air Adhart Funding to A.J. Fraser to be used in support of his enrolment in Gaelic language classes with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. It is Andrew’s goal to reach a level of fluency where he is comfortable making Gaelic a language of the home for his two daughters and become a more effective member of the Gaelic community, in terms of his language skills.
A.J. Fraser - Gaelic Language Learning
Brittany Rankin
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipient
The Gaelic Council is happy to award Gàidheil air Adhart Funding to Brittany Rankin a fluent Gaelic speaker, from Mabou Cape Breton, to create Cròileagan air Loidhne, a Gaelic language, music, and dance focused video series for ages 0-5 with the objective of giving babies and toddlers early exposure to Gaelic Culture in a fun interactive way! The series will teach language through games, songs, and stories as well as teach step dance and music.
Brittany Rankin-MacDonald - Gaelic Video Series
Abby and Ella Hanson
Gàidheil air Adhart Recipients
The Gaelic Council is happy to award Gàidheil air Adhart Funding to Abby and Ella Hanson to be used toward lessons in the Gaelic Language, fiddle, piano accompaniment, and voice. The sisters plan on using the skills and knowledge that they gain to continue to educate students about Gaelic language and culture in Nova Scotian schools through their business "Suas leis a'Ghàidhlig/Up With Gaelic."
Abby and Ella Hanson - Gaelic Language and Music Lessons
Each calendar year, a funding round is opened to the public, provided they are Nova Scotian, and are providing a Gaelic language or cultural project or continued studies in culture or language.
A select committee meets to review submissions, scoring each application against various criteria. The committee is made up of both board members from Comhairle na Gàidhlig as well as invited community members at large. This ensures that representation in the process occurs beyond the given board member slate, ensures members are from various regions of the province, and ensure a fair and open process. If there are more asks than there is money available, the committee has the discretion to either award the full asks of a portion of applicants, or determine if a reduced grant is applicable for the viability of the projects as submitted, ensuring more applicants can partake in the submission round. Should there be fewer applicants than money available, the Committee has the option of a brief extension of the current deadline, and can remit the funds back ‘into the pot’ for the next round of submissions. While it is typical that there is one round of applicants per calendar year, if sufficient funds warrant additional rounds, the committee has that option as well, always with the mandate to put the funds out into the community in a timely fashion. Once the final selection is made, the full board votes to accept the proposals as submitted.
The board of Comhairle na Gàidhlig are composed of volunteers who work and interact as Gaels here in Nova Scotia. They are also eligible to submit proposals to the process. To ensure arm’s length procedures, members of the committee step down if there is a known or perceived conflict of interest at any given time in the process.
