State Trade Expansion Program 2026

State Trade Expansion Program 2026 is sponsored by Small Business Administration (SBA). Provides funding to state agencies to assist small businesses in expanding their exports and entering international markets.

Grants - Small Business Administration to the . gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Find out about SBA’s limited small business grants for scientific research, community promotion of entrepreneurship, and exporting. Empower To Grow (E2G) Manufacturing in America grant SBA provides grants to help empower small manufacturers as part of the Made in America Manufacturing Initiative . What you need to know about small business grants SBA does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business.

SBA provides grants to nonprofits, Resource Partners, and educational organizations. These grants aim to support entrepreneurship through counseling and training programs. SBA only communicates from email addresses ending in @sba.

gov . If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from SBA, check their address. If they are not using an official SBA email address, you should suspect and report fraud .

Research and development grant programs Does your small business engage in scientific research and development? If so, you may qualify for federal grants under the following programs: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) These programs encourage scientific research that helps meet federal research and development objectives.

If they are successful, they have high potential for commercialization. SBA provides grants to help empower small manufacturers. Empower To Grow (E2G) Manufacturing in America Grant + The goal of this grant is to provide innovative hands-on, in-person manufacturing training and technical assistance to eligible small manufacturing business concerns.

SBA is looking for organizations that will provide technical proficiency and essential skills, including operating machinery, quality control, utilizing industrial software, and maintaining workplace safety.

Be a for-profit or not-for-profit entity (including, but not limited to, small businesses, other-than small businesses, trade and professional associations, and educational institutions) Be in existence continually for at least the past three years Have experience providing hands-on, in-person technical assistance, tools, or training relating to small manufacturing businesses on a regional or national basis; and ​ Demonstrate that it has the capacity to provide manufacturing related hands-on, in-person training and technical assistance to small business concerns.

Applications are now closed and awards will be announced at a later date. Exporting grants for state entities SBA’s State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) helps businesses that want to export. STEP provides financial awards to state and territory governments.

STEP Information for small businesses + The STEP grant program has helped thousands of small businesses obtain grants and find customers in the international marketplace since 2011. Through awards to U.S. states and territories, STEP helps small businesses overcome obstacles to exporting by providing grants to cover costs associated with entering and expanding into international markets.

STEP financial support helps U.S. small businesses: Participate in foreign trade missions Support website globalization and e-commerce capabilities Pay for subscriptions to services provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce and other federal agencies Participate in export trade show exhibits and training workshops Check out the SBA Grants for Global Expansion webinar to learn more about the STEP program. Ready to apply?

Contact STEP awardees in your state or territory by searching through the following list, to find out how they can help you start or expand your business to reach global customers with the help of a STEP grant. Directory of STEP awardees + Small businesses looking to start or expand their global customer reach can use resources offered by state entities that have received STEP funding.

The State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grants are specifically for established U.S. small businesses seeking to complete one of the following eligible activities: Participate in trade missions.

Participate in export training workshops Procurement of consultancy services Other export initiatives as approved by Associate Administrator at SBA If you are an established company, please contact your appropriate state/territory representative below to learn more about how to apply for STEP funds.

State or Territory Total Grant Amount FY24 Total Grant Amount FY23 Project Director Phone Number Alabama $450,000 $250,000 Christina Stimpson 334-539-7955 Alaska $100,000 Laura Vaught 907-269-7387 Arkansas $375,000 $300,000 Trish Watkins 479-418-4827 Arizona $275,000 $150,000 Kevin J.

O’Shea 602-845-1217 California $900,000 $700,000 Mariana Guevara 916-397-8085 Colorado $900,000 $700,000 Sophia Gonzalez-Mayagoitia 720-703-2471 Connecticut $240,000 $200,000 Laura Jaworski 860-500-2368 Florida $225,000 Greg Britton 850-898-3480 Georgia $310,000 $136,000 Alice Carson 404-962-4112 Guam $150,000 $100,000 Melvin Tabilas 671-647-4332 Hawaii $525,000 $750,000 Jamie Lum 808-587-2753 Iowa $300,000 $300,000 Lisa Day 515-348-6159 Idaho $350,000 $233,000 Tina Salisbury 208-334-2470 Illinois $400,000 $800,000 Margo Markopoulos 312-636-9456 Indiana $550,000 $300,000 Roger Howard 317-766-1416 Kansas $450,000 $200,000 Chang Lu 913-515-8541 Kentucky $400,000 $400,000 Mary NeCamp 502-782-1961 Louisiana $325,000 $450,000 India Bellard 225-342-2537 Maine $275,000 $350,000 Wade Merritt 207-541-7408 Maryland $550,000 $750,000 Jessica Reynolds 410-767-6300 Massachusetts $400,000 Melissa Clary Michigan $900,000 $900,000 Natalie Sandborn 517-599-0359 Mississippi $325,000 $600,000 Vickie Watters 601-359-2070 Missouri $375,000 $350,000 Shannon O’Hagan 573-522-6524 Montana $900,000 $800,000 Angelyn DeYoung 406-431-5075 North Carolina $900,000 $900,000 Mike Hubbard 919-447-7757 North Dakota $350,000 $300,000 Mathew Warsocki 701-721-6938 Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) $100,000 Kioshi Cody 670-664-3077 ext.

107 New Hampshire $500,000 $444,366 Alan Dillingham 603-271-0323 New Jersey $400,000 $850,000 William Spear 609-777-4125 New Mexico $200,000 Sara Gutierrez 505-827-0249 New York $900,000 $900,000 Lennox Ruiz 212-803-2344 Ohio $300,000 $400,000 Courtney West Oklahoma $290,000 $350,000 Kathy Gain 405-830-9098 Oregon $425,000 $300,000 Steve Thompson 971-374-3076 Pennsylvania $825,000 $500,000 Katherine Skopp 717-720-7361 Puerto Rico $447,145 $382,000 Leonyl Ortiz 787-758-4747 Rhode Island $150,000 $150,000 Benjamin Weinstein 401-232-6516 South Carolina $325,000 $250,000 Carla Edwards 803-609-9946 South Dakota $250,000 $200,000 Christina (Chris) Martin 605-338-3424 Tennessee $100,000 Jeffrey Overby 615-460-6499 Texas $500,000 Mindy Fryer 512-463-2496 U.S. Virgin Island, Export – USVIEDA $160,509 Nadine Marchena Kean Utah $525,000 $500,000 Anna Maidon 801-532-8080 Virginia $900,000 $500,000 Hannah Robertson-Forrest 804-241-6519 Vermont $249,000 $249,000 Daegan Goodman 802-622-4193 Washington $900,000 $1,000,000 Mary Ferguson 206-256-6130 West Virginia $325,000 Jesus Velasco 304-352-3957 Wisconsin $350,000 Aaron M.

Zitzelsberger 608-210-6734 Wyoming $175,000 $145,125 Kaley Holyfield 307-286-3668 Information for state entities + STEP 12 Fiscal Year 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) SBA is now accepting proposals for funding from eligible state entities that want to provide assistance and guidance to small businesses interested in exporting. Applications must be received by June 6, 2024.

STEP provides financial awards to state and territory governments to assist small businesses with export development.

Find information on how eligible state entities can apply for STEP awards to be used to increase small business exporters and their sales in their state: CFR: Third-party in-kind contributions CFR: Cost sharing or matching STEP awardee Terms and Conditions STEP awards are managed and provided at the local level by state government organizations. The program is managed at the national level by SBA’s Office of Manufacturing and Trade .

Grants for community organizations SBA offers grants to community organizations that promote entrepreneurship. These include those that support veteran-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, and Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs). Organizations supporting veteran-owned small businesses + This funding opportunity is addressed exclusively to Boots to Business (B2B) grantees.

Through this program, SBA supports your organization for a period of five years. Learn more about B2B . Service-Disabled Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program (SDVETP) This cooperative agreement aims to support organizations that currently deliver entrepreneurship training programs to service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs who aspire to be small business owners or currently own a small business.

Learn more about SDVETP . Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC) The Veterans Business Outreach Centers Cooperative Agreement provides quality counseling assistance and training events, particularly B2B events to transitioning service personnel and spouses of veterans, veteran and service-disabled small business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn more about Veterans Business Outreach Centers .

Veteran Federal Procurement Entrepreneur Training Program (VFPETP) This funding opportunity is for current Veteran Federal Procurement Entrepreneur Training Program (VFPETP) recipient organizations only, with an initial 12-month period and two option years of 12 months each.

There are currently two procurement programs available through this award: procurement opportunity training for start-up small businesses and procurement training for established small firms. Learn more about VFPETP .

Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program (WVETP) Offered by SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD), this funding opportunity supports each organization’s entrepreneurial training programs for women who are veterans, service members, and spouses of veterans and service members. Each awardee was chosen based on their demonstrated history of and commitment to providing training programs and resources to women.

Learn more about WVETP . Organizations supporting small business innovation + Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program This is a one-year funding opportunity for organizations to execute state/regional programs that increase the number of SBIR (innovation)/STTR (research and development) proposals; increase the number of SBIR/STTR awards; and better prepare SBIR/STTR awardees for commercial success.

Learn more about the FAST funding opportunity . This is a funding opportunity for a current recipient of an SBA SCORE award. In order to be eligible, you must be a current recipient of SBA funding to SCORE.

For-profit businesses are not eligible for this award. Learn more about SCORE . SBDC Northeast California In order to fill the vacancy of the Host Institution for Northeast California SBDC Program, SBA invites proposals for funding from eligible entities that are institutions of higher education and Women’s Business Centers.

Learn more about the SBDC Program in Northeast California . In order to fill the vacancy of the Host Institution for Pennsylvania SBDC Program, SBA invites proposals for funding from eligible entities which are institutions of higher education and Women’s Business Centers. Learn more about the SBDC Program in Pennsylvania .

Portable Assistance Program The purpose of this funding opportunity is to invite proposals for funding from entities currently funded by SBA as a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Lead Center. Each proposal must describe recent, serious economic conditions resulting from diminished business or government operations within a discrete area served by an SBDC network.

Proposals must include detailed plans to deliver technical assistance to the affected area with corresponding objectives and milestones to be accomplished. Learn more about the Portable Assistance Program . Program for Investors in Microentrepeneurs (PRIME) + PRIME is a competitive grant that is offered yearly, subject to available funds.

Announcements are posted to grants. gov in either April or May of each year. The grant provides funding for nonprofit microenterprise development organizations run either privately, or by state, local, tribal governments, or Indian tribes.

Funds are to help these organizations provide either capacity-building to microenterprise development organizations, or training, technical assistance, and guidance to disadvantaged microentrepreneurs. Faith-based organizations that meet all PRIME eligibility criteria can compete for PRIME funding. Learn more about PRIME .

See our lists of past PRIME grantees . Grants. gov maintains a database of the forms you may need when applying for an award.

There are specific requirements for recipients of an SBA grant. Make sure you can meet the legal and administrative prerequisites before you apply. Review the full terms and conditions for SBA grant programs .

You should also understand the uniform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for federal awards.