Small Business News

FedEx Announces Ninth Annual Small Business Grant Contest

As small businesses across the nation continue to be impacted by the pandemic, many are looking for any extra capital they can get. With that in mind, FedEx has just announced the launch of its ninth annual Small Business Grant Contest. The promotion will award a dozen small businesses a total of more than $250,000 in cash and services.

This year, one grand-prize winner will be awarded $50,000 along with $7,500 in FedEx Office print services, while one second-prize winner will receive $30,000 and $5,000 in services. Meanwhile, 10 third-prize winners will receive $15,000 as well as $1,000 in FedEx Office print services. Notably, for the second year in a row, one of these selected businesses will be Veteran-Owned Business Award Winner. Additionally, one third prize winner will receive the Entrepreneur Choice Award Winner, selected by the FedEx Entrepreneur Advisory Board.

To enter, business owners will first need to write a short profile of their business. This could include not only basic information about what your business does but also information on any social causes that are important to your business as well as how the potential winning would help your business. Businesses will also need to provide a digital version of their logo along with photos of their business. FedEx also notes that businesses can create a YouTube video to accompany their entry, although this step is optional.

Entries for this year’s contest are now open and will be accepted until March 9th. Then, the voting period will begin, with the Top 100 being announced on March 31st. Finally, the winners and grant recipients will be revealed on May 1st.

Speaking to the timing of this year’s contest, FedEx’s SVP of Integrated Marketing and Communications Jenny Robertson said in a statement, “Running a small business isn’t easy, and this year, it’s been tougher than ever, which is why FedEx continues to champion and support these entrepreneurs.” Robertson added, “Whether they use the money to build a better website or to buy new equipment, we want to help them write the next chapter of their story. When it comes to helping small businesses succeed, we always want to be part of that story.”

As Robertson points out, this ninth-annual contest comes at a critical time for many small business owners. Surely, the winners of these grants will be putting the funds to good use as the nation as a whole looks to recover from the past year. For those small businesses interested in entering this year’s FedEx Small Business Grant Contest, more information including a sample entry can be found on FedEx’s website.