Twenty community groups are to benefit from the latest round of funding under the Making Places initiative.
Community-led groups will now share £281,000 between themselves after applying to the grant scheme to support local design projects which include creating green spaces, improving town centres and updating infrastructure.
Recipients of the funding include a £15,000 Scottish Canals project within Fort Augustus which will see upgrades implemented on the canal and village as part of a future development plan.
Residents in Huntly in Aberdeenshire are also set to benefit as £20,000 has been pledged towards a new learning and leisure campus is sought after for the town.
Announcing the successful recipients of the fund at the Place Leadership Summit, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “The best people to decide the future of their local community are the people who live there. This funding is enabling local groups to have a bigger say in the design or improvement process of amenities, giving people a voice in shaping their neighbourhoods.
“We will continue to invest in local communities and deliver stronger communities for the benefit of everyone.”
Community groups in Applecross, Assynt and Plockton have also been awarded funding under the initiative.