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SBA's STEP Program
Grow your Business Internationally with the assistance of the Small Business Administration’s State Trade Expansion Program (STEP).

STEP Program

The STEP Program from SBA

Through awards to U.S. states and territories that have received funding, STEP helps small businesses overcome obstacles to exporting by providing grants to cover costs associated with entering and expanding into international markets. 

Are you looking to reduce the costs of entering or expanding into international markets? If you are a small-sized business, have been registered as a company for at least a year, and are selling goods or services containing 51% or more U.S. content, you may be eligible. STEP helps small businesses start and grow their international footprint by providing  grants to cover costs associated with entering and expanding into international markets. STEP is administered by U.S. states and territories.

The STEP program helps small businesses reduce costs related to their participation in international trade shows, foreign trade missions, and the use of export services such as those provided by the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce. STEP can also reduce costs when conducting international marketing campaigns, designing and developing internationally-focused websites, requesting reimbursements for qualified business expenses, and more. The type of service covered, and the size of the financial assistance, may vary by state. 

Since its inception about a decade ago, small businesses have been awarded more than $215 million through the STEP program. Each dollar awarded has resulted in approximately $43 in export sales generated, with more than 13,000 small businesses having received grants to fund their export opportunities. 

How to Apply

To find out if your company is eligible for funding under the STEP program, find your local state or territory representative on the SBA’s Directory of State Awardees. 

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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.

Limitations

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.

Privacy

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.

Translation

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.

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