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Microgrants for Students

Do you have a strong business idea, but need some help moving it forward? Apply for Enterpreneurship@DU’s Microgrant Program!

Open to all full-time students at the University of Denver

E@DU’s Microgrant Program gives students the tools and resources they need to take their ideas from concept to reality.

One-time microgrants of up to $2,000 are available to DU students from any full-time program to support new and early-stage business ideas. Funds are available upon receiving the grant. The E@DU team will take care of purchasing and expense tracking.

The Microgrant Program consists of three phases:

All students can also access mentors, co-working spaces and entrepreneurship workshops to further support their business endeavors.

Applications are accepted September 1- May 1 of each academic year

Pre-Grant Phase Steps to Apply for a Microgrant Grant:

Review Eligibility and Three Phases
Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements and familiarize yourself with the three grant phases.
Prepare Your Business Idea
Clearly outline your business concept and objectives.
Contact the Grants Administrator
Email: du.entrepreneur@du.edu to get paired with a Grants Administrator and set up a readiness assessment.
In the Readiness Assessment meeting, student should show evidence that:
- They are the right person to pursue this idea (personal journey, evidence of growth, dedication, coachability, resourcefulness)
- This is the right time to pursue this idea (evidence of market/industry research, gap analysis, understanding of the competitive landscape, industry/market trends that are building)
- This is the right problem/opportunity to solve (evidence of customer validation–recorded conversations with 15-20 potential customers suggesting evidence of the problem, statistical support for the need to pursue this idea
If you are deemed not ready, you will be matched with an ideation mentor to gather the necessary evidence for the grant. Regular check-ins with the Grants Mentor will help track your progress toward the goals outlined in the Pre-Grant Phase.

Once ready, you will receive an invitation to apply for Phase 1: Validation, or the phase determined by your mentor in the E@DU Grant Program. The invitation will be sent to you via email from your mentor as a Qualtrics survey.