Amazon Business is launching a new grant program as part of its first Small Business Month event this September.

The Small Business Grants program will provide more than $250,000 in grants to a small number of growing businesses. To qualify, businesses must be existing Amazon Business customers and have annual revenues of $1 million or less.

About Amazon’s Small Business Grants Program

Companies that sign up for an Amazon Business account before the application deadline will also be eligible. Applications are available online on the Amazon Business site, and the due date is September 30.

One grand prize winner will receive a $25,000 grant, one year of Business Prime membership, a Ring Deluxe security kit, and Amazon Web Services credits and training. There will also be four finalists who receive a $20,000 grant and those additional benefits from Amazon. And ten semi-finalists will get grants of $15,000 and select benefits. Amazon Business may also connect winners and finalists with additional press and marketing opportunities.

Amazon is teaming up with Entrepreneur.com to select the 15 semi-finalists. All the semi-finalists will then be featured on Amazon Business, and business customers can vote for the winners from that group. That voting period is scheduled for October 10 to 20. And Amazon Business will contact winners via email and announce them publicly on October 25.

About Amazon Small Business Month

The Small Business Grants Program is part of a new Small Business Month initiative launched by Amazon Business. It also includes a series of events, educational activities, and deals on various tools and resources that may benefit small business owners.

Amazon’s Small Business Month officially kicked off on September 8 with the company’s Small Business Summit. The free virtual summit included actionable insights from successful entrepreneurs, authors, and Amazon Business leaders.

Amazon is also offering Small Business Deals Week from September 12-18. This will include discounted pricing promotions on various tools and products exclusively for Amazon Business members. Some categories expected to be discounted include PCs, office products, furniture, and devices.

These initiatives are all part of Amazon Business’s larger goal to empower small business users and educate entrepreneurs about their business membership options. Amazon Business accounts give organizations access to Prime shipping on select products, savings on bulk orders, and options for organizing groups and various locations within your business.

Todd Heimes, small business director of Amazon Business said in a statement, “Amazon Business is invested in the success of small business customers. When they grow, we grow, which enables us to increase selection, reduce prices, and add additional features and benefits, all of which are important to small business owners. These entrepreneurs face unique challenges and circumstances, and we’re here to be a partner in their continued success.”

Though the live summit has passed, the content is still free and available to all entrepreneurs during Small Business Month. Simply register online to view the educational materials. Those interested in the Amazon Small Business Grant program can register for an Amazon Business account to access the online application between now and September 30.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, “Amazon Launches Grant Program for Small Business Month” was first published on Small Business Trends