Crafters Program
UND’s crafters program, Community Connect, can be used by local entrepreneurs to test the market before entering into a broader retail license with the University through its licensing agent, the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC).
Who Can Apply?
A self-employed individual of great skill in the manual arts who produces items that are all or partly (greater than 50%) made by hand or with a hands-on process in the home and selling/distributing to individual consumers via events or direct sale. A craftsperson does not utilize any fully automated processes and has no paid employees.
What are the Fees?
Standard License: A $150 fee will be charged by the University on an annual basis. Crafters are allowed to sell up to 500 units or $2,500 in sales revenue annually. Crafters are also required to display an “Officially Licensed" certificate.
Dacotah Legacy Collection: The Dacotah Legacy Collection (DLC) crafters license is capped at its current capacity and new applications are not being considered at this time.
If you have an active DLC crafters license and plan to extend your license for another year, the following fees and rules apply:
- Crafters required to apply for and be approved for a standard crafters license.
- A $150 fee will be charged by the University on an annual basis. crafters are allowed to sell up to 250 units or $2,000 in sales revenue annually.
- Crafters are required to display an “Officially Licensed" certificate.
Officially Licensed Certificate
Crafters, once approved, will be provided with an "Officially Licensed" Certificate that must be displayed at craft fairs, on webpages, etc. when selling products, failure to do so may result in loss or suspension of licenses. Your certificate will feature a hologram sticker, providing an additional layer of authentication for a licensed product.
What Products Can Be Made?
Items that are unique, handmade, and of an underrepresented category.
Categories that are NOT permitted include:
- Apparel
- Hats
- Consumable products
- Digital downloads
- Repurposing unlicensed products – (such as unlicensed fabric, challenge coins, medallions, etc.) is not authorized
- Alcohol products
- Tobacco and other smoking-related products
- Drug paraphernalia
- Products related to gambling or lotteries
- Firearms
- Sexually-themed products
- Products containing profanity, harsh or hateful language
- Products deemed defective or of poor manufacturing quality
Furthermore, University of North Dakota trademarks will not be licensed for use in a manner that creates a perception of endorsement of any non-federal entity or its products and services, or for any purpose intended to promote ideological movements, socio-political change, religious beliefs (including non-belief), and specific interpretations of morality or legislative/statutory change.
If you submit a crafter application of any products that do not qualify, the application will be denied.
Where Can Products Be Sold?
UND’s Crafters License allows for sales to individual consumers only and does not allow for wholesale or third-party vendor/distributor sales. All items must be approved by UND Licensing prior to listing or displaying for sale. Samples may be required for some items.
Craftsperson can only sell products at the following locations if crafter contact information is provided and the Crafters License Certificate is displayed:
- Craft shows
- Farmers Markets
- Festivals
- Flea Markets
- Fairs
- Limited Online Sites (personal website or crafter-hosted websites, i.e. Etsy, Facebook Marketplace)
- Artisan/Co-op/Collaborative shops
Please note that in accordance with University policy, no solicitation of sales may be made on campus at tailgate events without UND Sponsorship approval.
Artwork Approval
All crafters will need to submit proposed artwork for all products for approval prior to production and sale of the item. Artwork will be submitted through the crafters portal and routed to UND Licensing for approval. Licensees will be given instructions for this process upon approval of their application.
How to Apply
The University of North Dakota partners with Community Connect offered by CLC to manage the crafters program. This program runs on a calendar year from January 1st to December 31st. Crafter agreements will be renewed on a yearly basis upon request by Crafter. Each renewal is subject to the same criteria as a new application.
The application form should be completed and submitted online through Community Connect. No mail applications will be reviewed. A crafters license agreement will be sent to the crafter for signature once the applications and photos/samples are reviewed and approved. Once a signed agreement has been processed, online payment will be requested.
Apply for Community Connect License
Questions
If you have further questions about the Community Connect program or the application process, you can reach out to communityconnect@clc.com.