Fresh Fund Terms and Conditions 2021
Courier Holdings Ltd (the “Sponsor” or “Courier”), an international media company based in London, UK, which produces educational and inspirational content for modern entrepreneurs and small businesses, is offering The Courier Fresh Fund, a $150,000 (USD) fund to support black founders of small businesses (the “Fund”). The Fund’s objective is to help make a difference in the lives of young black business founders who are looking for an opportunity to get going, or to move their fledgling business to the next level but who could use some assistance. The Fund will make grants of varying amounts to black founders aged 35 and under who are building small businesses based in the UK or US. Selected founders will also receive ongoing mentorship by successful entrepreneurs and have their stories told in Courier's print, audio and digital products, reaching an audience of 800,000+ people in over 60 countries. Fund recipients will be young founders with commercial acumen who will be able to use a small grant (minimum of $5,000 USD) to get a good idea off the ground or level-up an existing business with untapped potential.
1. Dates. Submit an applicable between 1 July 2021 and 11:59 PM ET, 31 August 2021.
2. Criteria to evaluate applications.
A. Your demonstrated commitment. You don’t have to have any specific work experience, but you do have to demonstrate that you understand the problem you’re solving or the community you’re serving with your business, and that you have the entrepreneurial spirit and drive needed to make it a success.
B. Your broader goals for the business. We‘re not picky about the industry or focus of your business, but we are looking to support ventures that create value beyond profit for its owners. That could mean meeting a need that is currently not being met, serving a community better, innovating on traditional business models, or delivering a better product or service than what’s already available in the market.
C. Your plans for the grant. You can use this grant to get a new business off the ground, to explore a new idea or initiative related to an existing business, or to bolster and level-up an existing initiative. Whichever it is, we’ll be looking for founders who have set a manageable goal, have a clear idea of how much money they need to meet it, and how they hope it will impact their business.
D. Our ability to support. We want to select founders who have the most to gain from what we can offer beyond the financial grant. That means founders who will benefit from ongoing mentorship for 6 months from January 2022 to June 2022 from entrepreneurs within our network with experience building a similar kind of business, as well as coverage in our print, digital, and audio outlets.
3. Eligibility. Open only to residents of the United States and the United Kingdom, who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction. Void where prohibited by law. Employees of Courier Holdings Ltd and The Rocket Science Group LLC, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion agencies, and their immediate families and those living in same household of each are not eligible. All federal, state, local, municipal and provincial laws and regulations apply. Additional eligibility requirements: A. The person submitting an application must self-identify as a black person.
B. The person submitting an application is aged 35 or younger as of 1st of Sept. 2021.
C. The person submitting an application must be a resident of the US or UK.
D. If the person submitting an application is the founder of a business, then that business must be based in the US or UK.
E. Winners must make themselves available for the Courier’s editorial team to interview from October 2021 to June 2022 for coverage in Courier magazine and on Courier's digital channels (podcast, website, social, and email channels). Winners must also provide availability for photographers to shoot imagery of themselves, and a license to promote the winners’ names and images in connection with Courier, Courier’s affiliates, and the Fund.
4. Judging / Winner Selection. Applications will be judged by the Courier team and a panel of entrepreneurs and business experts in the US and UK. Grants will be awarded based on responses set forth in the submission form and based on other relevant factors the judges may utilize to evaluate applications.
5. Grant Prizes and Obligations. The Fund plans to award a total of US$150,000 to recipients (although the exact amount per recipient and the exact amount of recipients is up to the judging panel), plus the option to receive mentoring for 6 months. Potential grantees must complete and return Courier’s Affidavit of Eligibility, Release of Liability, and Publicity Release within one week of first attempted notification. Noncompliance may result in disqualification and an alternate winner may be selected. Recipient grantees will receive a minimum of US$5,000. Each winner is responsible for paying for any taxes due on the grant money. Please speak with your local tax advisor if you have questions about the taxability of the grant money. Exchange rates may apply. The grant payment will be made in one lump sum in December 2021. Funds shall be disbursed by being deposited in the winning business’s bank account. The first payment, if applicable, shall be provided only following publication of the primary magazine article in the Courier magazine announcing the winners, which will be approximately in or around November 2021. Grant payment transfers to personal accounts will not be permitted. The grant payment must be used as described in the grant application or otherwise mutually agreed upon by the winner and Courier, in its sole discretion.
● Grant amount: the exact amount of any grant is up to the judging panel. The minimum each grantee will receive will be $5,000 (USD).
● Each winner may also choose to be allocated a mentor for 6 months from January 2022 to June 2022, which Courier will source from our community based on what each winner wants help with. Mentors will provide a minimum of one hour a month of mentorship for 6 consecutive months. Mentors may agree to spend more time with their assigned winner but that will be entirely at the mentor’s discretion.
If selected, entrant: (A) grants Courier Media and its affiliates the right to interview winner, publish winner’s story, and publish content about winner’s business in print, digital, and audio outlets; (B) agrees to provide Courier with regular business updates for up to one year from the time winners are published; and (C) grants Courier Media and the right to use winner’s image and business’ logo and content to promote the Courier Fresh Fund.
6. Entry Materials and License / Release. All entrants agree that by submitting their entry, they assign to Sponsor all rights, title, interest in and to their entry materials to Sponsor. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Terms and Conditions, and the decisions of the Sponsor and judges which are binding and final on all matters. By participating, entrant agrees to hold Sponsor and its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (collectively “Released Parties”) harmless against any and all claims, injuries, losses and liability for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including death, to persons, or property arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly out of acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any grant or participation in the contest. Sponsor accepts no liability for content of entry materials. All entrants consent to use of their name, likeness, entry of material in any manner by Sponsor, its affiliates, and/or its promotional partners for advertising and trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.
7. Entrant Representations. Entrants represent, warrant and agree that they are the sole creator of their entry materials, or if not, that they have the express permission of any person who helped create the entry materials, and to grant the rights granted herein. By entering and submitting entry materials, entrants also represent, warrant and agree that entrants have all rights, approvals and/or consents necessary to submit the entry materials, and that the entry materials do not infringe on the rights, copyright, or other intellectual property rights of another party, or entity, or any law. Entry materials must not contain any inappropriate or offensive materials, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Any entry materials which in the sole opinion of Sponsor, is deemed inappropriate (e.g., defamation, nudity, pornography, gratuitous violence, inappropriate language, obscene, illegal, racially or morally offensive or likely to transmit or contain a virus, corrupted file or any similar element, etc.) or is inconsistent with the theme or image of the Fund may be rejected.
8. No Payment. ENTRANTS WILL NOT BE PAID FOR ENTERING or for granting any of these rights. Entrants agree to waive all claims to and shall receive no royalties of any kind now or in the future from Sponsor, its affiliates, or its licensees, successors and assigns for use of any entry materials. Entrants agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Sponsor and the Released Parties from and against any and all liability, losses, costs and expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred as a result of any entry materials.
9. No Confidentiality. Please also be aware that entry materials will not be received or held "in confidence." Submission of entry materials does not create a confidential, fiduciary or other special relationship between you and Sponsor, or any of its affiliates or any of its licensees, successors or assigns or place Sponsor or any of its affiliates, licensees, successors or assigns in a position that is any different from the position held by members of the general public. Entrants acknowledge and agree that Sponsor or any of its affiliates or any of its licensees, successors or assigns may have, receive, or obtain many submissions that may be similar or identical in theme, idea, format or other respects to your entry materials, and entrants waive any and all claims entrants may have had, may have, and/or may have in the future that any other materials accepted, reviewed, and/or used by Sponsor may be similar to your entry materials.
10. Limitations. Sponsor is not responsible for incomplete, lost, late, damaged, illegible or misdirected submissions or for any technical problems, malfunctions of any telephone lines, computer systems, servers, providers, hardware/software, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission or any combination thereof in connection with entries submitted. Sponsor is not responsible for any damage to any entrant’s computer system/software related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS FUND IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY AND SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
