Forty small businesses across Long Island will be awarded funding through the Optimum Businesses and the Long Island Association Foundation’s annual L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant Program.
“At Optimum Business, we understand the vital role Long Island’s small business community plays in the region’s growth, and we’ve witnessed the significant difference that financial support can make for these businesses and the neighborhoods they serve,” Andrew Rainone, the senior vice president of national sales at Optimum, said in a statement.
The 2026 L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grants Program will provide 40 small businesses – 20 in Nassau County and 20 in Suffolk County – with $5,000 grants.
Additionally, one small business from each county will be awarded a $25,000 grant.
The grants will assist the businesses with their expansion and help them support the prosperity of the communities where they serve, the program said.
The LIA will also offer a six-month membership to applicants and a one-year complimentary membership to grant recipients who are new to the LIA to further promote their growth, provide opportunities for operational success, and help them build their networks, the organization said.
“As we celebrate the LIA’s 100th anniversary, it is especially meaningful to continue our partnership with Optimum Business and mark the third year of the L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant program,” said Stacey Sikes, who was serving as the vice president of government affairs and communications at the LIA when the 2026 grant program was announced.
Sikes, who was promoted to president and CEO of the organization after Matt Cohen stepped down from the role, said the ongoing initiative reflects the LIA’s enduring commitment over the past century and into the future.
The L.O.C.A.L Small Business Grant Program was founded under Cohen’s leadership in 2024, who previously said the grants given out through the program are investments in the “economic health and future prosperity of our entire region.”
Since founding the grant program in 2024, Optimum Business and the LIA Foundation have awarded half a million dollars in grants to 90 small businesses on Long Island, supporting their growth and helping the region thrive.
Businesses can apply for grants on the LIA website. Eligible applicants for the $5,000 grant must have 10 or fewer full-time employees, have a brick-and-mortar storefront, or spend most of their time in the community, and the application needs to show how funding will support the growth of the business and the community where it operates.
Businesses must submit a short video and undergo an interview to be eligible for the $25,000 grant.
Applicants can also earn up to one year of free membership to the LIA.
Winners will be announced later this year.
