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America's Startup Contest

AMERICA250ORG INC

Foundation One-time Grants for Startups
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Funding Amount

Varies

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Grant Type

foundation

Overview

America's Startup Contest

Overview: A national undergraduate collegiate startup competition to spotlight early-stage business ideas.

Status: Currently closed. Semi-finalists will be notified in mid-April 2026 and invited to a live pitch experience in early May 2026.

Eligibility:

  • Must be an undergraduate student enrolled at an accredited U.S. college, university, or trade school

  • Must be a legal resident of the U.S., D.C., or a U.S. territory

  • Minimum age: 13+

  • One entry only per person

  • May apply solo or with a team (up to 4 proposal partners)

    • Award Details:

  • Selected teams may advance through additional review stages

  • Top teams invited to an in-person pitch experience

  • No specific prize amounts mentioned

    • Geographic Scope: United States, D.C., and U.S. territories

    Focus Areas:

  • Early-stage startup business ideas

  • Innovation and entrepreneurship

    • What Not to Submit:

  • Do not include confidential information, trade secrets, or sensitive IP details (submissions are considered public disclosure)

  • Use of AI to create the proposal or pitch video is prohibited

    • Contact: Startupinquiries@america250.org

    How to Apply

    Application Process

    Submission Period: Sunday, February 15, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. ET through Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET

    Required Materials:
    1. Mission statement (maximum 100 words)
    2. Why your Business Entity is necessary (maximum 500 words)
    3. Pitch video (maximum 2 minutes)

    Judging Criteria:
    All proposals evaluated using a national scoring rubric. Each proposal scored across seven equally weighted categories on a 1-5 scale (1 = lowest, 5 = highest):

  • Why You — Why This Team

  • Attractiveness of Market / Market Size

  • Product (Insight + Direction)

  • Barrier to Entry (Future Moat)

  • Competitive Landscape

  • Supply Chain / Execution Path

  • Business Model

    • Important Restrictions:

  • Do not include confidential information, trade secrets, or sensitive IP details

  • Use of AI to create the proposal or pitch video is prohibited

  • One entry only per person

    • Review Process:
    1. Proposals reviewed by panel of experts using the scoring rubric
    2. Selected teams may advance through additional review stages
    3. Top teams invited to in-person pitch experience

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    Focus Areas & Funding Uses

    Fields of Work

    startups

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