L’Oréal U.S. is doubling down on small business support with the third edition of its Inclusive Beauty Fund, offering 12 beauty entrepreneurs across the United States grants of $25,000 each, plus mentorship and business resources. The 2026 round, launched on March 23, 2026, in New York, raises the individual grant amount and keeps the focus on barbers, braiders, aestheticians, stylists, students, and other independent professionals who often struggle to access capital.
Inclusive Beauty Fund Enters Third Year
Created in 2021 as a direct response to the pandemic’s impact on the beauty sector, the Inclusive Beauty Fund has already supported 73 small businesses and entrepreneurs nationwide with funding and guidance. Past recipients have used grants to grow inventory, open new locations, upgrade marketing, and build more resilient businesses that can withstand economic shocks.
The 2026 edition stays true to that mission but goes further, with L’Oréal USA increasing the grant size to $25,000 per business to give winners more capacity to invest in their teams, services, and communities.
Who can Apply and What Winners Receive
The fund is open to a broad spectrum of beauty professionals and entrepreneurs across the U.S., including extension artists, braiders, aestheticians, barbers, salon and suite owners, students, and stylists. In total, 12 grants will be awarded this year, administered in partnership with the NAACP’s Economic Empowerment Fund and Hispanic Federation through social impact platform Deed.
Beyond the cash, grantees gain access to mentorship and business development support from senior leaders across L’Oréal’s portfolio and from SalonCentric, its professional distributor, help they can leverage long after the one time grant is spent.
Why Access to Capital Still Matters
L’Oréal USA notes that, despite the industry’s post pandemic recovery, access to capital remains one of the biggest barriers for beauty entrepreneurs, especially those historically underserved by traditional finance. Each new round of the Inclusive Beauty Fund is meant to meet a new cohort of founders at a crucial growth moment, helping them close funding gaps that might otherwise stall hiring, training or expansion.
“The beauty industry is full of talented entrepreneurs who simply need an opportunity to expand,” said Liliahn Majeed, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, North America, L’Oréal Groupe. “With this third round, we are reaching a new group of business owners and making a more substantial investment in what they are building. Beauty thrives when the people driving it forward have genuine support behind them.”
How and When to Apply
Applications for the 2026 Inclusive Beauty Fund are now open and are being managed directly by the NAACP and Hispanic Federation.
The NAACP and Hispanic Federation will each award grants of $25,000, with all submissions required via their respective websites.
Applications opened on March 23, 2026, and grant recipients will be announced in June 2026.
To apply via NAACP: https://app.helloalice.com/grants/naacp-x-l-oreal-inclusive-beauty-fund-2026
To apply via Hispanic Federation: https://www.hispanicfederation.org/our-work/economicempowerment/lorealinclusivebeautyfund/
The Partners Behind the Program
The program is powered by three key partners.
The NAACP works to secure civil rights and economic opportunity for Black Americans through advocacy, litigation, and grassroots activism, with work rooted in racial equity and civic engagement.
Hispanic Federation, founded in 1990, supports low income and immigrant Latino communities across 40 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., focusing on economic empowerment, education, health, immigration and more.
Deed provides the digital infrastructure, offering a social impact platform that helps leading brands manage volunteering, giving, and purpose led programs like the Inclusive Beauty Fund.
About L’Oréal USA
L’Oréal USA is the largest subsidiary of L’Oréal Groupe, managing more than 35 beauty brands and generating over $11 billion in annual sales across salons, department stores, mass retail, pharmacies, medi spas, e commerce, and more. Headquartered in New York City, it employs more than 12,000 people and operates administrative, research, manufacturing, and distribution sites in 16 U.S. states, guided by the group’s L’Oréal for the Future sustainability ambitions.
