$230,000 in small-business grants up for grabs in FedEx contest

Shipping giant FedEx is giving away $230,000 in cash grants plus $22,500 in FedEx services to 12 small businesses in a nationwide competition, officials said.

The FedEx Small Business Grant Contest, in its ninth year, is open to U.S. companies with fewer than 100 employees and operating for six months or more as of Tuesday. The grant applicants must have a FedEx shipping account.

Applications will be accepted until March 9 followed by public voting between March 10 and 24 to narrow the applicant pool to 100, said Jenny Robertson, FedEx’s senior vice president of integrated marketing and communications.

To apply, go to nwsdy.li/fedexcontest. The 12 winners will be announced on May 10.

More than 4,000 small businesses competed in last year’s contest.

"Running a small business isn’t easy, and this year, it’s been tougher than ever" because of the pandemic, Robertson said.

She said the top prize is $50,000 plus $7,500 in FedEx services, such as printing and shipping. At least one veteran-owned business will be among this year’s 12 winners.

The 100 finalists will receive counseling from the nonprofit lender Accion Opportunity Fund in Cambridge, Massachusetts and access to free webinars from the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The finalists also will receive business counseling from the Service Corps of Retired Executives, a unit of the U.S. Small Business Administration with a chapter on Long Island.

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.