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NJ STEP Program Details

hrough the SBA, the Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ Business Action Center received funding for the NJ STEP to provide financial awards on a first come, first served competitive basis, to domestic Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ eligible small businesses that are new to export, as well as those businesses who currently sell their goods and services to other countries.

For NJ STEP consideration, your business must be:

• Registered in, and domestic to, Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ
• Small as defined by the SBA
• In business for at least one year as of the date of the application
• NJ tax compliant
• Manufacturing goods or producing services that contain at least 51% U.S. content
• Registered with NJ START and have a DUNS number

Eligible businesses for the Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ State Trade Expansion Program will be considered to receive financial awards to partially offset export promotion costs such as the following:

• Website and e-commerce fees to attract international buyers
• Design of international marketing media
• Participation in international trade missions
• Participation in international and U.S. trade events
• Participation in Department of Commerce organized trade missions
• Fees for services provided by the U.S. Commercial Service (USCS)

Application Requirements: New for 2021-2022

To apply for a NJ STEP Grant, the following forms must be completed and submitted at the same time:

1. NJ STEP Information Survey
2. NJ STEP Projected Return on Investment
3. U.S. SBA - Eligible Small Business Concern Form
4. U.S. SBA – SF 1624 Form
5. NJ STEP Form - Additional Information for STEP 2021-2022 – This form requires a DUNS number and NJ START Vendor Number
• Note: Instructions for obtaining a DUNS number and NJ START Vendor Number are included in the form
6. NJ STEP Form - Information Technology Certification Statement for STEP 2021-2022 - This certificate is required for businesses seeking grants for website or e-commerce fees to attract international buyers
7. Copies of invoices and proof of payment for the export activities that will be considered for reimbursement through the NJ STEP grant.
8. A copy of a Business Assistance or Incentive Clearance Certificate for the Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ Secretary of State – Available online for free through the .

All grant recipients will be requested to complete on a quarterly basis the NJ STEP Cumulative Export Results Form.

For more details download the NJ State Trade Expansion Program information page either English or Spanish:

• English version - NJ STEP Information Page
• Spanish version - NJ STEP Information Page

Or call the Business Action Center to speak to a Global Business Advocate about state trade programs at 1-800-JERSEY-7.

The Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ State Trade Business Expansion Program is funded in part through a Grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Additional information and definitions for the Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ Business Survey

For the purposes of the NJ State Trade Expansion Program, Small Business Communities are defined by the U.S. SBA as follows:

• Socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (set forth in 13 C.F.R 124.103 and 104) who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias within American society because of their identities as members of groups and without regard to their individual qualities; whose ability to compete in the free enterprise system has been impaired due to diminished capital and credit opportunities as compared to others in the same or similar line of business who are not socially disadvantaged. The socially and economically disadvantage individual must own not less than 51 percent of the firm. These include:
• Black Americans;
• Hispanic Americans;
• Native Americans (Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, or enrolled members of a Federally or State recognized Indian Tribe);
• Asian Pacific Americans (The complete list is available at 13 C.F.R 103); and
• Subcontinent Asian Americans (persons with origins fro