FedEx offers Small Business Grant Contest

FedEx Corp., launched its fifth annual Small Business Grant Contest for all U.S. businesses and is open to U.S.-based for-profit small businesses with fewer than 99 employees and operating for six months or more.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. (FedEx) created this contest to offer our support to those small companies,” said Kelli Martin, marketing advisor for FedEx Services, via a telephone interview with NNBW.

The contest entry period is open from February 21 to March 29, with voting to take place from March 1 to April 5, 2017. Following a judging period, winners will be announced on April 25 at FedEx’s website: www.fedex.com/grantcontest.

The website, Martin adds, also offers other features including advice from past contest winners on promoting their brand.

This year, the contest offers grants and services to ten small businesses, distributing a collective prize pool of $120,500, the largest sum since. the contest’s inception. For the first time this year, the winners will also receive an additional dollar amount to use towards FedEx Office print and business services to help run their businesses.

The grand prize is $25,000 to get towards their business, plus $7,500 in FedEx Office print and business services. The Silver prize is $15,000, plus $5,000 in FedEx Office services. Eight winners will receive a bronze prize package of $7,500, plus $1,000 in FedEx Office services.

Over the past four years, 13,000 businesses have entered the contest in the United States alone. The contest has now grown from one country to nine countries and the grant pool for the U.S. contest has grown from $50,000 to over $120,000 in total prizes.

To enter, participants must visit www.fedex.com/grantcontest and enter their contact information, write a short profile about their business and upload four photos of their business or product, including their logo. Participants also have the option of submitting a 90-second “elevator speech” video to supplement their entry, but it is not required.

Among the northern Nevada businesses that have already entered the contest are:

American Duchess Inc., a Reno-based designer and manufacturer of historical women’s shoes from the 16th century to the 1920s.

Crucial Life Sciences Data Solutions, Inc., a Reno-based provider of EDC system for researchers that streamlines study builds, data collection and management of clinical trials.

Marked Studios, Inc., a Reno-based creatively professional tattoo studio.

EL REYO LANDSCAPE INC., a Carson City-based and family-owned landscaping and maintenance business.

Italian Hearts Pasta Sauces, Inc., a Reno-based Italian gourmet foods manufacturer.