Stage 1 of the Tour de France will pass through the Borders, which will host two-thirds of the opening route.
Plans are now underway to help communities make the most of the occasion and create a lasting impact.
Scottish Borders Council has announced a new Community Grand Départ Activation Fund to support events and activities inspired by the Tour.
Councillor Euan Jardine, leader of Scottish Borders Council, said: “At our engagement events in May lots of communities and local organisations came forward with great ideas and plans to celebrate and get involved in the Borders hosting the Tour de France.
“It is great that many people are so engaged already and we are committed to working alongside them to make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity, delivering not only an amazing experience for our communities and visitors but a long-term legacy.
“This funding will support those efforts and will be open to applications soon.”
Mr Jardine encouraged communities to start planning and take full advantage of the opportunities.
He said: “With two-thirds of Stage 1 in the Scottish Borders, and so many communities along our part of the route, there are lots of opportunities and I’d urge people to get their thinking caps on and we’ll do what we can to help make it all possible.
“It is quite incredible to think that this time next year we’ll have hundreds of thousands of people stretched along more than 100km of road in the Scottish Borders watching the world’s best road cyclists competing for the iconic yellow jersey.”
The stage begins in Edinburgh before travelling south through Innerleithen, Galashiels, Melrose, and the edge of Selkirk, then on to Hawick and Newcastleton before finishing in Carlisle.
Additional details about the route will be shared in the autumn.
The council has allocated up to £583,500 to support the event, spread over two financial years.
The Scottish Government has also invested more than £9 million to bring the Tour de France to Scotland for the first time.
In comparison, the council invested £147,000 to host the opening stage of the 2024 Tour of Britain Men, which generated nearly £2.5 million for the local economy.
For those wishing to get more involved, volunteering opportunities are available through the national JOY Makers programme.
Young people aged 16 to 25 can also apply for the Readiness to Work programme, which offers training and skills development related to the event.