Times are difficult, there is no question about that. Local communities are feeling especially hurt as small businesses struggle to adapt to the dramatic changes that have taken place over the past few months. In order to strengthen these small businesses as they transition, adopt new strategies, and fight to survive, FedEx is giving away grants to help in this process.

In an effort to promote resilience in local communities, FedEx is giving away a total of $1 million to small businesses. Each grant recipient will receive $5,000 as well as a $500 credit to FedEx Office. You can apply for a grant here. As small businesses try to find creative ways to transition their work to meet the current challenges, the monetary grants will hopefully aid in the development process. The FedEx credit can be used for printing banners, posters, floor graphics, custom branded boxes, and more. So, prepare your “We’re Open” graphics and begin applying!

Small businesses that are eligible must fulfill these requirements:

• The grants will be given to for-profit businesses based in the U.S. with less than 50 employees.
• The business must have been in operation and selling for more than one year and have less than $5 million in annual sales revenue in 2019.
• FedEx understands that its success is tied to the success of these companies. Therefore, the businesses must have shipped in the last 12 months or plan to ship in the coming 12 months.

Those who are not eligible include non-profits, franchised businesses, direct seller/reseller businesses, independent consultants, and previous Small Business Grant Contest winners.

Applications are open from May 25th, 2020 through June 12th, 2020 at fedex.com/supportsmallgrants. A total of 200 grants will be awarded and distributed to the recipients through June and July of 2020.

This is a small step in a long battle of resilience, but hopefully these grants can help small businesses get a boost when they need it most.  We encourage all tenants who believe they are eligible to apply now!