Department Of Commerce

A barrier to entry for some international markets can be international compliance testing and/or international intellectual property protection fees for trademarks, patents, etc.

To help defray the expense, the Montana STEP grant provides partial reimbursement of the cost of the testing services and IPP fees.

Deadline

Submit your application at least 30 days before the compliance testing service.

Reimbursement

Reimbursement on 50% of testing services fees, up to $5,000.

Eligible Small Businesses

To be eligible for the Montana STEP grant, you must:

  • Have been in business for more than one year
  • Meet the SBA’s definition of a small business
  • Market products that are of U.S. origin or have at least 51% U.S. content
  • Show in the STEP application your understanding of the costs associated with exporting and doing business with foreign purchasers, including the costs of freight forwarding, customs brokers, packing and shipping, etc
  • Agree to provide the program with export activities/results from the grant activities

Eligible Expenses*

Eligible International Compliance Testing Fees include:

  • GDPR Compliance
  • CE Marking
  • China Compulsory Certification
  • Underwriters Laboratory
  • Canadian Standards Association International
  • GOST-R

To request eligibility consideration of other compliance tests, contact Export Montana.

Eligible IPP Fees include:

  • Expenses for trademark registration in foreign countries
  • Expenses for filing patents in foreign countries

To request eligibility consideration of other intellectual property protections, contact Export Montana.

Ineligible Expenses

Any cost not directly related to international trade development and preapproved by this program.

 

Process

Apply here. Please note, our application process is now fully web-based, so you will be directed to access.gov to apply. Please contact our office if you have trouble with the process.

  • You may apply for any of the STEP-eligible activities at the same time such as trade shows, translation, USCS services, etc.
  • STEP grant priorities are:
    • Companies new to the STEP grant
    • Companies with more than two employees
    • For each company, one STEP grant award for each of the activities per year. Should there be any remaining funds once these priorities are met, funding a company’s applications for additional shows or other activities will be considered.
  • If you need help with any aspect of the application, contact Export Montana.
  • We will confirm receipt of the application within seven days and notify you of approval within 14 days.

Review

  • Export Montana will evaluate applications.
  • Export Montana makes the final decision, at its sole discretion, whether to fund an application, request additional information and request SBA review of the application.
  • Upon award, Export Montana will send the company an agreement email which will outline processes and procedures.

Receiving reimbursement

To receive reimbursement for your approved grant, please fill out the reimbursement form by logging into your ServiceNow account here. Be prepared with your:

  • W9 form – due with reimbursement request
  • Copies of receipts of expenses
  • Reimbursement on 50% of testing services fees, up to $10,000

Yearly Progress Reports

Export Montana will contact you annually to receive updates on results from the activity.

Export Montana may request additional report updates if needed to monitor the activity and satisfy SBA reporting requirements.