SheaMoisture and Tina Knowles-Lawson have teamed up to launch the Salon Innovation Fund and content series aimed directly at supporting Black hairstylists. The grants will be awarded in an effort to provide funding and education that can help independent stylists turn their side-hustle into a business and diversify and scale their new beauty offerings.  

Tina Knowles Lawson

As an entrepreneur and former salon owner herself, Knowles-Lawson has partnered with the brand in a shared mission of supporting Black entrepreneurs, and empowering stylists to pursue their dreams beyond the chair. As she puts it, “Partnering with SheaMoisture to launch the Salon Innovation Grant and support Black stylists underscores our shared commitment to uplift our community and help entrepreneurs rebuild their financial footing and pursue their dreams. As a previous salon owner and stylist, I’m honored to be a part of this initiative. 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.”

The Salon Sessions Fund will provide $10,000 grants to 5 Black licensed stylists to help grow, scale, and transform the innovations that many created out of necessity to subsidize income loss during the pandemic.   

In addition to the fund, Knowles-Lawson and her friend and celebrity hair stylist Neal Farinah will be featured in the brand’s ongoing content series called Salon Sessions where they discuss the importance of the fund and sharing their personal stories as stylists and salon owners. Clips from the series will live on SheaMoisture’s social media and can be seen in full on the brand’s YouTube page. 

From now through October 18, SheaMoisture is inviting eligible Black men and women hairstylists to apply to receive 1 of the 5 grants to be awarded. Applicants can visit www.SheaMoistureFund.com for criteria and to apply.  

This effort underscores SheaMoisture’s commitment to support Black businesses and communities nation-wide. In 2020, the brand’s $1M Covid Relief Fund for women of color and Black-owned small businesses ultimately helped over 100 Black-owned businesses minimize financial disruptions during a year of trial and turmoil. Most recently, the brand worked alongside the White House to boost COVID-19 vaccinations among Black Americans by providing $1,000 grants to 1,000 Black-owned salons and barber shops as funding for resources, materials, and training to transform these businesses into vaccination sites.