About this programme
The FedEx Small Business Grant Contest is FedEx's annual cash-grant competition for U.S. small businesses, run out of FedEx's Small Business Center since 2012. It is a marketing-and-goodwill program, not a government or SBA scheme: FedEx picks a set of winners each cycle from thousands of entries and gives them cash plus FedEx services, with no repayment obligation and no equity taken.
Each annual cycle is a fixed-window contest, not a rolling fund: FedEx opens an application period (recent cycles have opened in early spring), collects entries through fedex.com/grantcontest or fedex.com/smallbusinessgrants, has a review/judging process, and announces a fixed slate of winners on a set date. Entries and prize structure are reissued from scratch each year under a fresh set of Official Rules, so exact prize amounts and dates change cycle to cycle.
In FedEx's 12th annual program (2024 cycle), the grand prize was $50,000 with nine additional winners receiving $20,000 each, plus FedEx Office print credit, a My FedEx Rewards voucher, and other FedEx services for all ten winners. The prior (11th annual, 2023) cycle instead ran ten $30,000 grants with a $20,000 top-up for one veteran-owned winner via USAA. Applicants should treat the prize structure as variable by year and confirm the current cycle's amounts on the official page before applying.
As of this record's verification, the official page (fedex.com/en-us/small-business/grants.html) returned a bot-access error rather than live content, and no confirmed 2026-cycle dates were locatable via FedEx's own newsroom. The programme's US operating history (12 consecutive annual cycles through 2024, later cycles referenced in press coverage) indicates it is an ongoing, recurring contest rather than a one-off, but the current cycle's exact status needs a direct check of the official page or fedex.com/grantcontest when live.
How it works
FedEx opens a fixed application window (recent cycles: roughly March 1 to April 1) during which businesses submit one entry each at the official contest URL.
After the window closes, FedEx reviews entries and selects a fixed number of winners (recent cycles: 10 U.S. winners) rather than funding every qualifying applicant.
Winners receive a cash grant paid as a check, plus non-cash extras that have included FedEx Office print credit, a My FedEx Rewards voucher, mentorship, and features on the FedEx Small Business Center.
A subset of non-winning applicants (up to 100 in the 2024 cycle) has received a smaller consolation voucher; this has varied by year and is not guaranteed every cycle.
Grant funds are given, not lent — FedEx describes them as non-repayable and takes no equity or ownership stake in the business.
Who can apply
The contest is open to U.S.-based, for-profit small businesses with 1-99 employees that have been actively selling a product or service for at least six months.
Applicants must hold a FedEx business shipping account and currently ship with FedEx; recent cycles have also required the FedEx account to have been opened before a cutoff date set in that year's Official Rules.
Past or present members of the FedEx Entrepreneur Advisory Board are not eligible to apply.
Businesses that have previously won a FedEx Small Business Grant have been excluded from reapplying in later cycles under recent rules; businesses that applied but did not win have not been restricted from reapplying in a future cycle.
Only one entry per business per cycle is permitted — submitting multiple entries in the same cycle has been grounds for disqualification of all of that business's entries.
How to apply
- Confirm the contest is open for the current cycle at fedex.com/grantcontest (or the current official URL FedEx points to) before starting — the application window is time-limited, typically a few weeks.
- Have your FedEx business shipping account number ready; it is a required field on the entry form.
- Prepare a written business profile/narrative describing your business, how you would use the grant, and your experience shipping with FedEx.
- Prepare supporting visuals — recent cycles have asked for up to four photos of the business, product, or logo, and a short video (roughly 1-2 minutes) about the business and its FedEx experience.
- Submit the single entry before the application window closes; FedEx does not accept late or duplicate entries.
- Watch for a People's Choice voting period (in cycles that have run one) and the winner-announcement date, both posted on the official contest page.
Documents you’ll typically need
- FedEx business shipping account number
- Written business profile / narrative on planned use of the grant
- Up to four photos of the business, product, or logo
- A short video (recent cycles: roughly 1-2 minutes) about the business and its FedEx shipping experience
Frequently asked
Is the FedEx Small Business Grant a loan?
No. FedEx describes the grant as a cash award that does not need to be repaid, and FedEx does not take equity or any ownership stake in exchange for it.
Do I need to already be a FedEx shipping customer to apply?
Yes. Recent cycles have required applicants to hold a FedEx business shipping account and to be currently shipping with FedEx, with the account entered as part of the application.
How many businesses win each year?
Recent U.S. cycles have selected ten winners. The exact prize split between winners (for example, one larger grand prize versus several equal grants) has varied by year, so check the current Official Rules for the live cycle's structure.
Can I apply again if I entered a previous year and did not win?
Non-winning applicants have not been restricted from applying again in a later cycle under recent rules. Businesses that have already won a FedEx Small Business Grant have been excluded from reapplying.
Is the contest open year-round?
No. It runs as a fixed annual application window — recent cycles opened in early spring and closed about four weeks later — rather than accepting rolling applications. Outside that window, the entry portal is closed.
What can the grant money be used for?
The application asks entrants to describe their planned use of the funds, but the Official Rules do not restrict spending to a fixed list of categories the way a government grant might. Confirm any usage restriction against the current cycle's Official Rules before applying.
Reviewed 2026-08-16. Programmes change — confirm current eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.