California STEP Grant

The California State Trade Expansion Program is administered by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The program’s goal is to boost the number of qualified small business exporters in California and the volume of goods and services they sell abroad. It does this through two main pathways: pre-selected STEP Events led or co-led by GO-Biz and partner trade-promotion entities, and Export Vouchers that reimburse a portion of company-proposed export-promotion activities. STEP Events provide turnkey participation in foreign trade missions, international trade shows, product showcases, and related matchmaking programs. Benefits typically include shared pavilions, reduced exhibition costs, and access to curated networking. Each event has its own registration deadline and a predetermined support structure that either subsidizes most participation costs or offers a set funding amount. Companies may participate in up to two STEP Events per federal fiscal year, with the possibility of additional events if space and funds allow. Export Vouchers reimburse up to 75 percent of pre-approved eligible costs with a minimum reimbursement of 500 and a maximum of 10,000 per federal fiscal year. Allowable uses span international trade shows or missions (excluding travel), U.S. Commercial Service products, export credit insurance premiums, certain domestic trade shows with documented international strategies, compliance testing and product registration for foreign markets, website globalization and e-commerce localization, international marketing materials, intellectual property protection abroad, and export research tools. All activities must clearly target international markets; ineligible costs include travel, general operating expenses, activities done by in-house staff, purely domestic efforts, or activities in sanctioned markets. Eligibility focuses on California for-profit small businesses with significant operations in the state that export goods or services with at least 51 percent U.S. content. Applicants must be organized or incorporated in the United States, meet SBA small business size standards including affiliation rules, be in good standing (e.g., registered with the California Secretary of State for corporations and LLCs or hold local licenses/DBA for sole proprietors), have been in business at least one year by the time of the activity, and possess sufficient resources to handle trade logistics. Businesses engaging in illegal activities, with certain disallowed revenue sources, or participating concurrently in another state’s STEP are ineligible. Applications are submitted through the STEP online portal. For STEP Events, applicants select an event and complete the required sections. For Export Vouchers, applications must be filed in the round that aligns with the planned activity window; vouchers are competitive, and awards may be made for less than the requested amount based on application strength, number of applicants, and available funding. Required application sections include contact and business information, export-readiness responses, and either an event choice (for STEP Events) or a detailed activity proposal with budget, third-party provider details, and anticipated outcomes (for Export Vouchers). Reimbursement requests for approved voucher activities must be filed within 14 days of completion with invoices, proof of payment, and proof of activity. Evaluation considers completeness and clarity of responses, export readiness, and the merit and strategic fit of the proposed activity. Preference may go to first-time STEP applicants and firms that are new to export. Program questions are handled by the STEP team via a central inbox, with named staff contacts available. The program operates on a federal fiscal-year cycle; Export Voucher activity rounds generally align to October–December, January–March, and April–June windows. While event deadlines vary by event, voucher applications should be submitted two to three weeks before the planned activity concludes or occurs within the applicable round.