In 2026, the Mental Health Association of Central Florida will present it’s 2nd annual “Mental Health Business Ally Award” at its Legacy of Champions Luncheon. The purpose of this award is to highlight businesses outside of the mental health field that have contributed to local mental health efforts and have demonstrated a commitment to support the mental wellbeing of Central Floridians.

Our organization values the advocacy local businesses provide for mental wellness initiatives and we are excited to honor their significant, positive impact on the community! All finalists selected for the award shall be recognized at the Luncheon and the winner will receive a special award to display at their office.

Eligibility: Nominations (including self-nominations) are open to businesses meeting the following criteria: 
(1) Must be a for-profit business. Such businesses include sole proprietors, LLCs, S-corps, C-corps, or other legal business entities. 
(2) Must be a for-profit business whose revenue is not directly or indirectly tied to the Mental Health field, Healthcare field, or Social Services field. It is permissible for the for-profit to have clients within these fields, provided that such clients do not constitute more than 10% of the for-profit’s annual business revenue.   
(3) The business does not need to have its headquarters located in Central Florida, but it must have a franchise, affiliate, or other type of business representation operating in Central Florida.
Examples of ELIGIBLE businesses: Retail stores, real estate agencies, restaurants, insurance agencies, accounting firms, advertising firms, service businesses, banks, credit unions, auto dealerships, etc.  
Examples of INELIGIBLE businesses: Therapists, Hospitals, Recovery Centers, Telehealth platforms, etc.   
 
Timeline: 
February 2nd – Release nomination forms
April 15th – Deadline to submit nominations 
April 16th – April 26th – Review Committee convenes and decides on Finalists 
April 27th – Finalists invited to the Luncheon 
May 11th – Finalists confirm they will have a representative that is able to attend the luncheon 
May 28th – Finalists are recognized and Winner is announced at the Legacy of Champions Luncheon 
 
Application:  NOMINATIONS HAVE CLOSED

After providing basic contact information the application has 3 questions related to the nominee. NOTE: It is not necessary to populate information for all 3 questions. 

 
1.  FINANCIAL OR IN-KIND SUPPORT OF MENTAL HEALTH 
Please describe any financial or in-kind support the business has provided to help the Mental Health Association of Central Florida, AND/OR other mental health non-profits. You can reference both recent and/or past support. 
 
2. EXTERNAL SUPPORT OF MENTAL HEALTH 
Please describe any ways the business has externally supported the Mental Health Association of Central Florida, OR other mental health non-profits, or mental health initiatives. Examples might include attending events, participating in awareness walks, volunteering, distributing information, etc. 
 
3. INTERNAL SUPPORT OF MENTAL HEALTH 
Please describe internal activities the business does to support mental health. Such activities might include specialized training staff has completed, in-house workshops focused on mental health, unique activities dedicated to increasing morale and decreasing stress, special recognition programs, etc. 
 
Applications Deadline: April 15th, 2026 
 
 
Judging Criteria: Finalists shall be selected based on an impact the business has made in one or more of the three areas listed below. The review panel will seek to balance the size of the business nominated with the level of impact that it made, when the review panel evaluates applications.  
 
FINANCIAL OR IN-KIND SUPPORT 
EXTERNAL SUPPORT OF MENTAL HEALTH 
INTERNAL SUPPORT OF MENTAL HEALTH 
 
Finalists to be Notified: April 27th, 2026 
 
Finalists Confirm their ability to attend Luncheon by: May 11th, 2026 
 
Finalists attend Luncheon: 
All finalists will be recognized and winner will be announced at the Legacy of Champions Luncheon, held at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Florida, on May 28, 2026.