Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) awards

Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) awards is sponsored by U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA). MDCP awards support projects that enhance the global competitiveness of U. S.

industries, establishing partnerships between ITA and non-profit industry groups such as trade associations and chambers of commerce.

Ready to Start Your MDCP Application? The federal grant application process can be daunting, especially for first-time applicants. After emailing ITA to find out if you are eligible, then meet with our MDCP team to brainstorm project ideas and go over details related to the application process.

Email ITA to ask if your organization is eligible Download Video: MDCP Application Overview See trade. gov/mdcp to learn the latest on whether there is an MDCP competition planned for this fiscal year. Eligibility and Registration Eligibility and Registration To receive an MDCP grant, organizations must meet certain criteria, the first thing you will need to do is determine if your organization is eligible.

Email mdcp@trade. gov to ask if your organization might be eligible. The MDCP Team will reach out to you and go over the documentation that you will need to submit to ITA for an official eligibility determination.

Register on grants. gov. All applicants for federal financial assistance are required to register on grants. gov .

You do not need to wait for the completion of a final eligibility determination from ITA. Once you have estimated that your organization may be eligible by using the Preliminary Eligibility tool, you can go ahead and register. Registration may take a few days to process online, so do not wait until the last minute to register.

Download Video: MDCP Project Narrative The project narrative is where you will propose your MDCP competition project. But before you dive into completing a full project proposal, you will want to hold a counseling session with ITA’s MDCP Team. Before scheduling your counseling session, you should have first asked the ITA MDCP team to advise you on your eligibility to receive an MDCP award.

Download the Project Narrative form and provide as much information as you can in the first 3 sections of the form. Request a counseling session with ITA’s MDCP Team to discuss your proposal ideas. The MDCP Team will follow-up with you to go over how to submit these first sections of the form and will schedule a meeting with appropriate industry and area experts to briefly discuss your project ideas with you.

After your counseling session, you should complete rest of the Project Narrative form, including collecting any documents that may be required for your submission as noted in section 11 of the Project Narrative.

MDCP Project Narrative Form 2024 [180KB] Request a Counseling Session Download Video: MDCP Project Budget The budget is where you will explain how you plan to allocate your contributions and the grant money that you are requesting. This section is the most error-prone of the application, so we have a template and guidance on how to create the budget. The example Excel file will help you create a budget for your proposed project.

Replace the green data with information specific to your project. The data that you enter will auto-populate the last two worksheets in the Excel file. This will create mockups of Standard Forms 424 and 424A.

You will transfer the information from these worksheets to the appropriate forms in grants. gov. MDCP Project Budget Worksheet [122KB] The example budget shows how to structure the matching resources you are required to pledge. The federal share (the MDCP award) can account for no more than 50% of your total project budget.

Your required match can be a mix of both cash and in-kind contribution. Find more detailed information about: How to account for indirect costs Program income claimed as a cash match Per diem rates, bid threshold, in-kind match How to mark business identifying information (BII) and request non-disclosure Get Help from the MDCP Team Download Video: MDCP Project Submission Your application will be submitted through grants. gov .

In the search tab in the top right of the grants. gov homepage, type “MDCP”. Open the entry for Market Development Cooperator Program and you will find forms that are required to submit your application.

The information that is required to complete the forms on grants. gov will come from the project narrative and the budget that you created. Complete the forms and upload all items.

grants. gov has an excellent help option. You can find it in the top right corner.

We at ITA cannot help you with grants. gov. If you are experiencing problems at the deadline, and you are not able to upload and submit via grants. gov, contact the MDCP team .

If you cannot submit via grants. gov, navigate to grants. gov, download the forms, and save them on your own device.

Don’t forget to have the same authorized representative sign all forms that require a signature: SF-424, SF-424B, and CD-511. If you have trouble with e-signing, you can scan a form that was signed manually and submit it. Frequently Asked Questions Review our frequently asked questions (FAQs) that are organized into a few key categories.

Once you have your project description ready, review the tools on this page to prepare your application. Find Guidance for Applicants Find general information, past award winners, and successes on the MDCP home page. Continue Learning About MDCP Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA).

This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need.

The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages. As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests.

The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade. gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research.

Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade. gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot.

Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions. The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages.

Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English. Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA).

This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need.

The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages. As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests.

The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade. gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research.

Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade. gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot.

Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions. The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages.

Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.