West Virginia STEP Program Guidelines

General Guidelines

Applications must be approved prior to commencement of the proposed export activity and expenses must be incurred during the funding period to be eligible for reimbursement. The maximum award per funding period is $15,000 per STEP client toward a single or multiple eligible export promotion activities.

The funding period is October 1, 2024- September 29, 2026.

Eligibility

To be eligible for STEP funding, West Virginia small businesses must meet the following criteria:

• For-profit Business
• Organized or incorporated in the United States
• Located in West Virginia and is registered with the Secretary of State
• Complies with The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) size standards

  (which vary by NAICS code based on either annual receipts or number of employees)

• Has a finished product or qualifying service with at least 51% U.S. content
• Has been in business for no less than one (1) year
• Has sufficient resources to bear the cost associated with trade, including the costs of packing, shipping, freight forwarding, and customs brokers

Note: The above eligibility requirements apply to all companies in a group of companies that are affiliated through having the same controlling owners. Owners of multiple businesses will only be considered to be awarded $15,000 per STEP cycle.

STEP Program Process – How Does It Work?

1. Prepare – Review Guidelines and Eligibility criteria to ensure the program is right for you.
2. Apply – Submit your STEP Client Registration.
3. Register for the Event – Each eligible export activity has to have a separate STEP Event Application submitted.
4. Await Approval – We will evaluate your application and notify you if you/your company has been approved for funding along with next steps.
5. Reimbursement – Submit a Post Event Survey along with your reimbursement documentation.
6. Closeout – Share your outcomes with our team through a Long Term Performance Survey a year later.

Preparation Checklist

Please have the following information ready for the application process:

• West Virginia Secretary of State Entity Number (for corporations or LLCs)
• Copy of Business License (for sole proprietors)
• Primary six-digit North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) (need to make the NAICS code field on the form mandatory along with other fields as needed)
• Total Number of Employees (including those of affiliated companies i.e., parent companies)
• Annual Receipts (including those of affiliated companies i.e., parent companies)
• History of exporting (if applicable)
• Past STEP funding results (if applicable)
• Review the Application Process before starting the application process

West Virginia STEP Reimbursements

Reimbursements will be awarded to eligible small businesses to offset some of the costs of developing new export expansion projects. This includes businesses that have never exported their products, businesses that have exported on a limited basis, or more experienced exporters seeking to continue to expand to new international markets.

During the West Virginia STEP funding period applicants may receive up to $15,000 which can be distributed in one or more export promotion activities. For each qualifying export promotion activity, small businesses may apply to obtain 75% of eligible associated expenses. The West Virginia STEP funding period is October 1, 2024 – September 29, 2026.

Eligible Reimbursements

 Eligible export activities under the West Virginia STEP include: 

• Trade Missions and Trade Shows sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Economic Development
  Subscriptions and travel expenses to participate in West Virginia trade events.
• Individual Foreign Market Visits
  Subscriptions and travel expenses for international sales trips scheduled directly by the applicant organization, participation in export trade events and international trade shows organized by reputable organizations, and international sales trips scheduled through the U.S. Commercial Service.
• Website Fees
  Translation of websites into foreign languages, website localization services and search engine optimization. Also included is design and development of websites with international focus, oversight and maintenance and monitoring fees for search engine optimization, online market listing fees, E-commerce platform fees, including hosting and/or maintenance fees and expenses to set up websites to accept international payments.
• Fee-based Export Services offered by the U.S. Commercial Service
  Click here for more information.
• Compliance Testing
  If required for an existing product to enter a new market to include CE Marking.
• International Trade Exhibitions
  For trade show fees, design and construction of booth display, travel expenses and shipping of samples. For international trade shows held in the U.S., applicants must submit a short statement outlining their company strategy to achieve export sales at the trade show. If approved, applicants must provide a list of international leads contacted during the trade show.
• Shipping Expenses
  For shipping samples, marketing materials and exhibiting displays.
• Design of Marketing Media
  For brochures, social media platforms, websites, billboards, newspapers, branding and advertising, posters and advertisements in international magazines. Also included is the design of digital international marketing for all forms and channels of social media and digital ad placements and translation of marketing media, including audio and video.
• Participation in Export Training Workshops
• Export Research Tool Subscriptions
• Procurement of Consultancy Services
  This activity is only allowable after consultation with the U.S. Commercial Service to avoid duplication of services.
• Credit Insurance Premiums offered through EXIM or the private sector.

Eligible Travel Expenses

• Economy-class airfare in accordance with the Fly America Act – Flights must be booked through U.S. carriers. Cabin and seating upgrades are not eligible for reimbursement. If upgrading, applicants must turn in main cabin pricing for the same travel itinerary on the same date of purchase.
• Lodging and meals – Maximum rates are limited to U.S. Department of State Guidelines.
• Ground transportation – Including taxis, train tickets, Uber, car rental, mileage, airport parking, private drivers.
• Baggage fees
• Interpretation services
• Currency exchange fees

IMPORTANT – Reimbursements are limited to two (2) travelers directly employed by the applicant organization per qualifying export promotion activity.

Expenses Not Eligible:

• Passport or visa fees
• Immunizations
• Expenses related to entertaining current or prospective clients or government officials
• New product development or alteration of existing products
• Cellphones and cellphone charges

Applications must be approved prior to the commencement of the proposed export activity.

Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed export activity will support a new international market entry or a new market expansion project such as a new product launch, selling to a new geographical area within a country, or catering to a new industry sector. Qualifying export activities must be completed by September 29, 2026.

Small Business Eligibility Criteria

An eligible small business must meet the following criteria in order to be considered to receive a WV STEP funding:

1. Is organized or incorporated in the United States
2. Is organized for profit
3. Complies with The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) size standards
4. Has been in business for no less than one (1) year
5. Has access to sufficient resources to bear the cost associated with trade, including the costs of packing, shipping, freight forwarding, and customs brokers
6. Has a finished product or qualifying service with at least 51% U.S. content
7. Is not barred from receiving federal funds
8. Is located in West Virginia and registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State
9. Is in good standing with the West Virginia State Department of Tax and Revenue
10. Agrees to complete one post-event survey, and one program closeout survey during the first year, and a yearly performance survey for the next two years

U.S. Commercial Service

There’s a number of additional tools and resources that could be helpful to prepare and set potential export goals. Through our partnership with the U.S. Commercial Service here are the two great services that can be a great start for your company globalization:

1. RAISE Market Research – an in-depth research that helps to find the best international markets and identify specific potential partners through a customized matrix report tailored based on the companies preferences and goals.
2. Website Globalization Review (WGR) – an assessment of how ready the company’s website is to help target the overseas customers and increase the number of international consumers online.

Please refer to each of the links for further information on the two services above and any other
available services tailored to each business.

Take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions here.

For program, application process or eligibility questions please contact one of our team specialists: