Grants / Small Business Administration / Small Business Administration

SB-OITST-25-001: STATE TRADE EXPANSION PROGRAM (STEP)

Closed Closed July 31, 2025 Opportunity SB-OITST-25-001 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of Small Business Administration notices from 2025.

• Award ceiling$900,000
• Award floor$100,000
• Expected awards55
• Cost sharingRequired
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to state and local governments.

• State governments

More grants for state and local governments.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past State Trade Expansion awards averaged $407,134; this notice allows up to $900,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (77% over five years) went to state and local governments.
• The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.

What the grant funds

The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (HR 644), signed into law on February 24, 2016, made the State Trade Expansion Program a permanent provision of the Small Business Act to make grants to States, and the equivalent thereof, to carry out projects that support developing exports by eligible small business concerns (ESBCs) (as defined in Section 8.1.5). The objective of STEP is to increase (1) the number of U.S. small businesses that export, (2) the dollar value of exports, and (3) the number of U.S. small businesses exploring significant new trade opportunities (as defined in 8.1.15).

Category: Business and Commerce, Community Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.