Funding
MITC provides financial support to Maine companies for activities to improve global competitiveness and develop international markets with funding available through grants from the US Small Business Administration, FoodExport USA, and the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
Guidelines
For information on eligibility, requirements, and timeline for reimbursement, please review the Guidelines and Travel Policy documents (links below) before submitting your STEP Financial Assistance Award application.
As part of the application, a specific activity name, description, start and end dates, and estimated total cost are required. Applications must be received by December 15, 2023. Funded activities must be completed before December 31, 2023.
Are you ready to apply?
To complete a STEP Financial Assistance Award application, you will need to provide the following information:
- brief project name (e.g., B2B Matchmaking, E-commerce Platform, Export Compliance Audit, Seafood Expo Global 2023, Website SEO)
- description of the activity
- top target countries (up to 4)
- start and end dates
- estimated total cost
The first step is to create an account. It’s quick and easy. Setting up your company account on this portal will allow you to create, save, and submit applications, as well as invite other members of your team to participate
Due to unprecedented demand, the application process is currently paused. If additional funding becomes available in the future, we will begin accepting applications again. Please check back.
When in doubt, ask MITC
If you have an idea to expand your export sales and are not sure the activity would be covered, contact us to discuss how we may be able to provide financial support. We want to hear from you.
Funded in part through a grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration
The State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant initiative of the U.S. Small Business Administration provides funding to increase the number of businesses that export. Administered by Maine International Trade Center (MITC), the objective of the STEP Financial Assistance Award is to encourage Maine companies to seek new international sales through financial support for costs associated with such activities.