October 5, 2021
Tina Knowles-Lawson To Award $50K To Hairstylists In Partnership With SheaMoisture
Tina Knowles-Lawson, a businesswoman, fashion designer, philanthropist and of course Beyoncé’s momma, has partnered with SheaMoisture to launch the Salon Innovation Fund, which will award $10,000 grants to help five licensed Black hairstylists scale their businesses.
In addition to continuing SheaMoisture’s ongoing commitment to community support, the new grant specifically aims to help independent stylists “transform the innovations that many created out of necessity to subsidize income loss during the pandemic,” the company said in a statement. To that end, the Salon Innovation Fund will also give stylists access to education that will help them expand both the vision for their respective businesses and the services they are able to offer.
“The Salon Innovation Grant is our way of continuing our mission of closing the racial wealth gap with investments that support Black entrepreneurs,” explained Head of Brand Purpose and Partnerships Simone Jordan.
She continues, “We believe opportunities must be inclusive of hair stylists, one of SheaMoisture’s core community members. This is a group often overlooked as entrepreneurs, yet as business owners and salon employees [they] were hit the hardest during the pandemic ”
For Lawson, this project hits particularly close to home. “As a previous salon owner and stylist, I’m honored to be a part of this initiative,” she said. “This grant awards stylists that are using connections and experiences from their salon chair to innovate products and services that not only support the needs of their clients but can create wealth and opportunities for their families and communities.”
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Dedicating herself to this project in more than name alone, Lawson will also star alongside her friend, celebrity hairstylist Neal Farinah, in a series of clips for SheaMoisture’s Salon Sessions series. The two will use the videos to share their own personal journeys as stylist, as well as provide additional information about the fund.
Applications for the Salon Innovation Grant are open through October 18 at SheaMoistureFund.com.
