Two Long Island small businesses received $20,000 grants through the third annual LOCAL Small Business Grant Program, a joint initiative of Optimum Business and the Long Island Partnership (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 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 LOCAL 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 last major improvements needed to make its facility fully ADA accessible.
“It’s going to be a big help,” said owner Tanairy Fernandez. “I think our company will be very grateful for the grant.”
Balance Mental Health Counseling, a minority- and women-owned practice, 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.
Nassau County grantee Barber & Beauty Institute of New York in Hempstead plans to use its grant to upgrade professional training equipment, improve student resources, invest in educational technology and expand community outreach efforts. The accredited barber school offers professional training to aspiring barbers throughout 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 risked a lot to open the business and invest in it, this is a huge relief to these people,” said Andrew Rainone, senior vice president of national commercial 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 launched in 2024. The initiative is supported by founding partner Optimum Business and is being conducted in partnership with the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce.