Entries Open for 2019 FedEx Small Business Grant Contest

Deadline: 25 March 2019

You’ve built something amazing. Now it’s time to share it with a wider audience. The 2019 FedEx Small Business Grant Contest is here — with even bigger prizes. Enter now for a chance to expand your possibilities.

The FedEx Small Business Grant Contest is a grant program by FedEx to award ten (10) U.S. based small businesses with grants up to $50,000 and up to $7,500 in FedEx Office print and business services.

Funding Information

There will be a total of ten (10) Winners: one (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a U.S. $50,000 Grant in the form of a check and $7,500 in print and business services from FedEx Office; one (1) Silver Level Winner will receive a U.S. $30,000 Grant in the form of a check and $5,000 in print and business services from FedEx Office; eight (8) Bronze Level Winners will each receive a U.S. $15,000 Grant in the form of a check and $1,000 in print and business services from FedEx Office. All FedEx Office prizes are in the form of a credit at a local store near each winners’ location. Total value of all Grants and FedEx Office Prizes: $220,500 (each a “Grant” and together, the “Grants”).

There will be up to 4 additional Prize Packages based on prize level:

Website Optimization Prize Package:
- Grand Prize: Technical Website Audit detailing all SEO (search engine optimization) results and detailed recommendations for improvements, valued between $1,500 – $5,000 depending on number of website pages
- Silver Prize: One (1) Website Conversion Optimization Audit detailing potential conversion issues and recommended enhancements to improve conversion, valued between $500 – $2,000 depending on number of website pages.
- Bronze Prize: One (1) Website Audit with high level review and recommendations for enhancements to SEO, valued at $50
Design Thinking Workshop Prize Package:
- Grand Prize and Silver Prize:
  - 2-3 Day design workshop hosted at winners location and facilitated by FedEx Customer Driven Design team members
  - 1-year LUMA Workplace subscription (valued at $288 each)
- All winners: 2 hour “introduction to design thinking”: facilitated by FedEx Customer Driven Design team members via scheduled webinar or in-person at Small Business Grant Winner Forum in Fall 2019
Social Media Workshop Prize Package:
- All winners: Social Media Workshop to be held either in person or via webinar at discretion of Sponsor, to include overview of social platforms, pre-review of winners platform usage, working examples, best practices, targeting, and enhancement opportunities.
Print Expert Consultation Prize Package:
- All winners: One (1) 30-minute consultation with a dedicated FedEx Office representative to discuss opportunities for usage of FedEx Office prize towards print and business services at FedEx Office. Consultation available until May 31, 2020.

Eligibility Criteria

The Contest is open to only legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who at the time of entry are independent owners/operators of an eligible for-profit small business that is domiciled in the fifty (50) United States or District of Columbia which has been in continuous operation selling a product or service for not less than six (6) months at the start of the contest. In order to be considered an eligible “small business” for purposes of this Contest, the business must meet all of the following criteria:

Entrant/owner must be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of Submission;

The business must be currently active, lawful, have all necessary and required licenses and registrations;;
Entrant/owner must be an authorized agent of the registered business;
The business must be in good standing as of the date of Submission and must remain so through the end of the Contest;
The business must have between 1-99 employees on its payroll.
Not a previous FedEx Small Business Grant Contest Winner.
Neither the business itself or any owner of or investor in the business is a previous FedEx Small Business Grant Contest Winner;
Not a past or current member of the FedEx Entrepreneur Advisory Board;
Not in any way affiliated with a franchised or direct seller business;
Not an authorized FedEx reseller;
The primary purpose of the business must not be in competition with FedEx or any FedEx operating companies;
Not under bankruptcy protection or have judicial liens or attachments.