In late August, FedEx launched the FedEx Entrepreneur Fund, which was set to provide $10,000 grants to 30 U.S. small businesses owned by people who are veterans, and people who have disabilities.
Now, those 30 businesses have been selected, with FedEx revealing their names on Nov. 9. One such business, Henry’s Family Farm, is located about four hours away from Memphis, in Fayetteville, Tennessee. Others are located throughout the country, and you can see the full list of recipients here. They’ll be spotlighted from Nov. 14–20, as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
“We are excited and honored to offer this opportunity to veteran entrepreneurs and small business owners with disabilities,” Jenny Robertson, SVP of integrated marketing and communications for FedEx Services, said in a press release. “As an enthusiastic advocate for small businesses, FedEx is always looking for new ways to support entrepreneurs in different industries with a range of missions and backgrounds.”
The fund received more than 12,500 applications, with 57% of these coming from military-connected businesses, and the other 40% coming from entrepreneurs with disabilities. The majority of the applicants were women-owned businesses, while 65% were Black-owned, and 5.5% were Hispanic/Latinx-owned.
The initiative was launched in collaboration with Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) and Hello Alice — a platform that guides small businesses. Recipients will receive access to Hello Alice’s tools and resources, small business owner events, workshops, ask-me-anything sessions, and fireside chats.
To be considered for the program, businesses had to be majority-owned and operated by people with disabilities, or majority-owned and operated by military-connected entrepreneurs. This could include military family members, military spouses, active-duty military personnel, or veterans. In addition to this, they needed to have a maximum of 25 employees, show annual gross revenues of less than $7 million in 2021, and demonstrate the need for funding to support business and customers.
