Funding of over €400 million is being made available to local authorities as part of a continuing regeneration programme for towns and cities.
Councils will have to meet specific targets to unlock the finance.
The Minister for Housing James Browne said the assistance will be focused on the redevelopment of underused sites, along with improvements to civic infrastructure.
The supports form part of the ongoing Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund.
While previous grants have been targeted at specific building projects, the Department of Housing said the latest round of finance is centred on tackling long-term vacancy and dereliction.
Part-funding will be provided to local authorities, with long-term and short-term projects eligible for consideration.
Successful applications have been granted between €150,000 and €9 million, with a total of 119 projects across the country earmarked for funding.
Launching the project in Mayo this morning, Minister Browne said he hoped the latest phase of the initiative would bring “transformative regeneration” and sustainable development.
He said many of the submissions had been made in conjunction with community groups and social enterprises, who had helped devise projects that would have lasting impacts on their localities.
Funding is available under two headings.
Councils can apply for assistance for what are described as “longer term projects”, with the remainder of the finance going towards works that can begin by September next year.
