Development Award Guidelines

Funds are intended to strengthen co-curricular entrepreneurship programming and to support the preparation of undergraduate student teams for e-Fest 2026. Awards can be used for activities such as student business concept competitions, workshops, events, or other faculty-led initiatives that inspire and engage students outside the classroom.

Recipients are expected to:

• Promote e-Fest on campus and encourage students to participate
• Ensure at least one undergraduate team from their institution submits to the online round of e-Fest 2026 (January 7 – March 1, 2026)
• Engage with EIX.org by exploring free teaching resources and providing feedback on how they are used in classes or student activities
• Awards are limited and applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to eligibility and alignment with e-Fest goals.

Faculty & Institution Eligibility

To qualify for a Development Award, applicants must:

• Be a faculty or staff member at a 4-year college or university in North America
• Ensure the institution offers at least one entrepreneurship course
• Be actively involved in supporting undergraduate entrepreneurship learning and experiences

e-Fest 2026 Student Team Eligibility

Student teams must meet the following requirements:

• Team members must be undergraduate students registered during Spring 2026 or have graduated no earlier than Fall 2025
• Teams must consist of 2 to 5 students
• Each team must have a faculty or staff advisor
• Students must hold a substantial leadership role in the venture (non-students may be involved, but students lead)
• Teams qualifying for the Top 25 Finals must have at least two team members and an advisor available to travel to Minneapolis to compete April 23-25, 2026.

👉 For a complete list of requirements, please review the e-Fest Rules & Eligibility.

W-9 Upload Guidelines

Follow these instructions to ensure your W-9 is accepted and payment is processed quickly.

1. Use Your Institution’s W-9

• Must be for a college/university or a foundation affiliated with a college/university.
• EIN only — Social Security Numbers are not accepted.
• Address must match the institution’s official address. Altered addresses may be rejected.

2. Complete All Required Fields

• Line 1: Legal name of the institution or affiliated foundation.
• Section 3: Most institutions select “Other – 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.”
• Address: Complete mailing address (including state and ZIP code). This is where the check will be sent, so use an address valid for at least 2–3 months after the competition.
• Signature & Date: Must be signed and dated within 1 year of the competition date (for e-Fest 2026, no earlier than April 2025).

3. Ensure the Form is Legible

• Clear, straight, high-resolution PDF scan or photo.
• No blurry images, white-out, handwritten edits, or locked PDFs.
• Submit only page 1 of the W-9 (no instruction pages).

4. File Format

• Preferred: Unlocked PDF.
• Acceptable: Word doc or high-quality JPEG.