State Trade Expansion Program (STEP)
Open continuously
No deadline — apply whenever you are ready.
SBA awards STEP grants to US states and territories, which then reimburse individual small businesses for export costs - trade show fees, translation, international marketing, compliance testing. Per-company reimbursement amounts are set by each state, commonly a few thousand up to about $10,000-$15,000.
U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of International Trade
public · national
Deadline: rolling — SBA's award to states is annual; individual small businesses apply to their own state's STEP office, typically on a rolling or per-event basis within the state's programme year.
This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.
Moderate — a form and supporting documents.
Who can apply
- small enterprises
- Stage: seed, growth
- Locally registered entity required
Must be an 'eligible small business concern' - in business at least one year, operating profitably, with a product or service of at least 51% US content, and able to export.
How to apply
- Find your state's STEP administrator (usually the state commerce or economic development department)
- Confirm the eligible activity and reimbursement rate for your state
- Apply before incurring the export expense
- Submit receipts for reimbursement
Source. https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/grants/state-trade-expansion-program-step — checked 2026-08-14 · not human-checked