An extra £10 million is being made available to towns for investment in their historic environment.
The Scottish Government funding will be handed out to 12 council areas, including Elgin in Moray, Kilbirnie in North Ayrshire, Cupar in Fife and Selkirk in the Borders.
The money, distributed through Historic Scotland's Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (Cars) encourages local authorities to invest in historic sites as well as helping economic growth.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop made the announcement as she visited Dalkeith in Midlothian, which was previously allocated £402,638 from the funding. She was shown how the money was used to repair several buildings, including the Tolbooth and Cross Keys Hotel, a former coaching inn.
"It has been a great privilege to see first hand how this investment programme is continuing to benefit communities such as Dalkeith across Scotland," Ms Hyslop said. "Our historic environment plays a key role in communities and this funding provides an opportunity to invest back into the historic fabric and back into the heart of communities.
"It also crucially provides the opportunity to stimulate economic regeneration, a key priority in today's economic climate, be that through a new end use or rejuvenating an existing facility.
"I am delighted to announce a further £10 million of funding for communities the length and breath of Scotland, which will give more areas than ever before the opportunity to benefit from this investment."
Other areas in the scheme are Kirkwall in Orkney; Parkhead Cross in Glasgow; Banff in Aberdeenshire; Falkirk; Kirriemuir in Angus; Galston in East Ayrshire; and Inverary in Argyll and Bute. Gorebridge in Midlothian will also get £548,500 for essential repairs and improvements.
Bob Constable, leader of Midlothian Council, said: "We are obviously delighted to have been awarded this new funding. The regeneration work undertaken in Dalkeith has had a huge impact not only on the condition of some of the town's historic buildings and the public realm but also in changing the public perception of the town centre."
There have been four rounds of Cars funding since 2005. It is allocated to councils by Historic Scotland and is open to local and national park authorities, community groups and other organisations. It can be used for a range of projects, including small grants to homeowners and retailers.
