STEP Grant

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FAQs STEP Grants

The STEP (State Trade Expansion Program) Grant is designed to help Louisiana small businesses generate new export revenue and create or retain jobs resulting from sales to foreign markets. Under this program, eligible small businesses can be reimbursed for expenses associated with participation in virtual and in-person trade shows, trade missions and export training workshops, as well as other eligible expenses including shipping sample products, compliance testing, fee services offered by the U.S. Commercial Service, internationally-focused website development and design of marketing media, and other activities and expenses as determined by SBA.

The program offers a 90% reimbursement rate on eligible expenses, with a maximum benefit per company of $10,000. Eligibility

To be eligible, companies must: Meet the SBA definition of a small business Have been in business for at least one year Be a for-profit business based in Louisiana Be new to export or seeking new export markets Have a plan for exporting (export strategy) Understand costs associated with exporting Be an export-ready U.S. company seeking to export goods or services of U.S. origin OR have at least 51% U.S. content Not be debarred from doing business with the Federal Government Reimbursable Expenses

Eligible expenses include: Trade show exhibition/booth fees (virtual and in-person) Trade mission fees (virtual and in-person) Export training courses & workshops (virtual and in-person) U.S. Department of Commerce fee services Travel-related expenses such as airfare, lodging and meals Marketing materials and media to promote exports E-commerce and website fees (internationally-focused) Cost of compliance testing Export credit insurance fees Other approved activities and expenses

Begin the Process (opens external page in a new window) The Process

Apply for the STEP Grant Program on FastLane (opens external page in a new window).

Begin the process arrow-small (opens external page in a new window) 1

Review eligibility criteria and contact LED with any questions. 2

Apply for the STEP Grant Program on FastLane (opens external page in a new window). 3

LED will review your application and inform you of acceptance into the program. 1

Review eligibility criteria and contact LED with any questions. 2

Apply for the STEP Grant Program on FastLane (opens external page in a new window). 3

LED will review your application and inform you of acceptance into the program. FAQs

View All\\ arrow-small Who can apply for a STEP Grant?

Any qualifying export-ready small business headquartered in Louisiana can apply. A qualifying business must meet the SBA definition of a small business, be registered to do business in the state of Louisiana, have been in business for no less than one year, be operating profitably, have at least 51% U.S. content in their product or service, and have not been debarred from doing business with the federal government.

For further information about qualifying as a small business, please see the SBA’s definition (opens external page in a new window). Who does not qualify for a STEP Grant?

Ineligible small businesses are those that do not have a product or service to export, are acting as intermediaries for other companies and/or are recruiting foreign investment. Companies that are already receiving federal funding from another institution for a particular event are also excluded from receiving additional funding through STEP.

Also, companies who receive STEP funding for their travel to a trade show must be registered exhibitors at that show, and STEP travelers must be company employees. Likewise, companies who receive STEP funding for their travel to a trade mission must be a registered participant of that mission. Does completing my STEP application guarantee my company’s reimbursement?

No, the approval of a company’s STEP Application does not guarantee reimbursement. Companies must be approved into the program…

Topic areas: Advanced Manufacturing and Industry, Workforce Development, Education and Training, General and Cross-cutting R&D.

Funding amount

This other provides Varies in funding.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no single fixed deadline.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the following applicant types:

• Not specified by the program.

Eligibility

The program did not publish a separate eligibility statement. See the official opportunity page for the full eligibility criteria.

Agency

STEP Grant is administered by Louisiana Economic Development (LED), listed via Louisiana Economic Development.