The latest round of allocations of €36 million from the dormant accounts fund is to be invested in tackling educational disadvantage and assisting people with disability.
A total of €18 million will be issued through the Department of Education and a further €18 million through the Department of Health.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin said the education allocation would be invested in providing facilities, such as dining areas for children in school breakfast clubs, outdoor play facilities and libraries, and in the construction of parent rooms in disadvantaged schools.
Some of the funding will be used to develop access programmes for the institutes of technology so that students from socially disadvantaged communities can access third-level education.
Minister for Health Mary Harney said funding would be used to assist people with disabilities moving from institutional care into private houses where there are five to seven people.
She said huge strides were being made in this area and moving into homes like this "makes an enormous impact".
Some of that funding would be used for small-scale building projects in residential care units and transport grants for people with disabilities in rural areas, and to provide non-statutory disability organisations with grants for aids and appliances.
This is the second allocation this year, bringing to €60 million the allocation for this year from the dormant accounts fund.
It was established from accounts in financial institutions that have not been used for at least 15 years and from insurance policies unclaimed by their owners in the same period.
The Government will advertise to invite applications for the funding, along with the applications from groups planning innovative projects, and which have guaranteed private philanthropic or community funding to match the State's contribution.
Minister for Community, Gaeltacht and Rural Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said that this year had been a "particularly good year" in terms of contributions to the fund, because money came in from the post office.
There had been an overall net income of about €50 million this year.
About €20 million from dormant accounts goes into the fund each year and in total it has received €373 million since its inception, with a current balance of €247 million.
"There is a long way to go on this fund at this rate," he said.
