Long Island small businesses receive $20,000 grants from Optimum Business & LIA Foundation
This year's grand prize winners are Balance Mental Health Counseling in Huntington and the Barber & Beauty Institute of New York in Hempstead.
Two Long Island small businesses have been awarded $20,000 grants through the third annual L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant Program, a joint initiative of Optimum Business and the Long Island Association (LIA) Foundation aimed at helping local entrepreneurs grow and strengthen their communities.
This year's grand prize winners are Balance Mental Health Counseling in Huntington and the Barber & Beauty Institute of New York in Hempstead. In addition to the $20,000 grants, each business will receive a $5,000 television advertising campaign from Optimum Media.
The L.O.C.A.L. program, which stands for Lifting Our Communities Across Long Island, recognizes small businesses that play a vital role in their communities while providing financial resources to help them expand.
For Suffolk County winner Balance Mental Health Counseling, the grant will fund one of the final major improvements needed to make its facility fully ADA accessible.
"It's going to go a very long way," said owner Tanairy Fernandez. "I think our business is going to be very appreciative of the grant."
A minority and women-owned practice, Balance Mental Health Counseling provides individual, family and group counseling services for children, adolescents and adults. The practice specializes in areas including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and perinatal mental health. The $20,000 award will be used to install a handicap-accessible ramp at the front of the building.
The Nassau County recipient, Barber & Beauty Institute of New York in Hempstead, plans to use its grant to upgrade professional training equipment, enhance student resources, invest in instructional technology and expand community outreach efforts. The accredited barber school provides professional training for aspiring barbers across the region.
Optimum Business officials said the grants are intended to give entrepreneurs the flexibility to invest in their most pressing needs.
"When you see a small business owner who put a lot on the line to open the business and invest in the business, this is a major break for these individuals," said Andrew Rainone, Senior Vice President of National Business Sales at Optimum.
Optimum Business and the LIA Foundation have awarded nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in grants to more than 130 Long Island small businesses since the program's launch in 2024. The initiative is supported by founding partner Optimum Business and is conducted in collaboration with the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce.
