L'Oréal USA is accepting applications to the third edition of its Inclusive Beauty Fund, which will award a total of $300K in business grants to 12 U.S. beauty entrepreneurs.
Eligible to apply for the $25K individual grants are state-licensed extension artists, braiders, hairstylists, estheticians, barbers, salon and barbershop owners, suite owners, and students.
The 2026 grant program is taking a higher-impact approach than its previous iterations, choosing fewer recipients but more than doubling the cash payout and other support to help 12 underrepresented “Beauty Blazers” aggressively scale their businesses.
The increased investment gives small businesses “more capacity to invest in their teams, their products, and their communities,” L’Oréal says in a statement. Beyond the capital, winners receive direct mentorship from L’Oréal and SalonCentric executives to maintain long-term growth for their businesses.
“Beauty thrives when people driving forward have genuine support behind them,” says Liliahn Majeed, L’Oréal Groupe’s North American chief of Diversity, Equity, and inclusion.
Grants are administered in partnership with the NAACP's Economic Empowerment Fund and Hispanic Federation.
To apply via the NAACP, tap here. To apply via Hispanic Federation, tap here. Grant recipients will be announced in June 2026.
The Inclusive Beauty Fund was launched in 2021 in response to the global pandemic's impact on the beauty industry. Since then, the program has supported 73 small businesses and beauty entrepreneurs nationwide.