Mission
The LIA Foundation is a separate 501 c(3) that supports its parent organization, the Long Island Association Inc., a 501 c(6).
The mission of the LIA Foundation is to support the well-being of all Long Island communities, businesses, and their employees which will help our region to thrive and prosper.
Goals
The LIA Foundation aims to implement programs, hold events, and conduct research that focus on areas critical to Long Island's economic development, including:
- Fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive economy
- Supporting small businesses
- Protecting Long Island's most vulnerable residents in need
- Encouraging workforce training to support employers and their employees
- Cultivating innovation
2025 L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grants
For the second year in a row, Founding Partner Optimum Business is sponsoring the L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant program administered by the LIA Foundation in partnership with the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (LIHCC) and Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce (LIAACC).
Read the Press Release: Optimum Business and the LIA Foundation Announce the Relaunch of the L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grants
40 small businesses on Long Island (20 in Nassau County and 20 in Suffolk County) will receive $5,000 grants
New for 2025!
Two $25,000 Grand Prize Winners (one in Nassau, one in Suffolk) for businesses that have faced extreme financial hardship
Eligibility Overview:
- Applicants must be a qualifying business entity based in Nassau County or Suffolk County.
- The business must have 10 or fewer full-time employees.
- The application must demonstrate how funding will support business growth and help the community where they operate.
- The business must have a brick-and-mortar storefront or spend most of their time with clients in the community (for example, a landscaping company or a licensed child care facility).
- Please email questions to foundation@longislandassociation.org.
Process:
- Applications are due on March 28, 2025 and must be submitted online using the link above.
- In addition to application questions, businesses must provide a link to a video no longer than two-minutes which can be taken on a mobile device.
- All businesses must read the Official Rules before submitting an application.
- After a review by a Selection Committee, finalists will be interviewed and undergo background screenings.
- $5,000 awards are anticipated to be announced in May 2025 and Grand Prizes will be announced later in the summer.
How it started: The LIA's Small Business Support Program
When Matt Cohen became President & CEO of the LIA in May 2021, it was one of his priorities to expand the LIA's support to small businesses, which comprise the majority of businesses on Long Island, and were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To help accomplish this goal, he partnered with LIA Board Members Luis Vazquez, President & CEO of the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Phil Andrews, President & CEO of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce to have the collective force of the three organizations.
- In June 2022, together they held a Small Business Conference and launched the LIA's Small Business Support Program to help businesses who were devastated by the pandemic.
- In 2023, the LIA Foundation was awarded a $42,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation in partnership with the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce and Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to develop a plan for inclusive economic growth in our region.
- In 2024, Optimum Business generously supported the first L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant program, which funded 50 small businesses on Long Island with $5,000 grants, and supported them with projects like new signage and landscaping, improving the interiors of the stores and purchasing equipment, and expanding their marketing efforts.
The LIA is continuing to collaborate with LIAACC and LIHCC to support and advocate for Long Island's diverse small business community. The organizations are engaging with their members in quarterly joint membership meetings, roundtable discussions, and individual meetings to receive feedback and input on best practices for regional collaboration, marketing and outreach, and navigating challenges facing small businesses.
LIA Foundation Board of Directors
Robert B. Catell
Chairman
Advanced Energy Research & Technology Center, Stony Brook University
stonybrook.edu
