Governor Moore Announces Record Federal Funding to Support International Efforts for Maryland Small Businesses

​BALTIMORE, MD (October 18, 2023) — Governor Wes Moore today announced that the Maryland Department of Commerce has received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration to broaden the state’s international reach and help companies create jobs and access new foreign markets. The funding is the highest single award that the department has ever received through the State Trade Expansion Program, which supports participation in overseas trade shows in targeted industry sectors and funds the state’s ExportMD program.

“Maryland’s economy will grow and thrive when our small businesses have more opportunities to succeed,” said Gov. Moore. “We thank the U.S. Small Business Administration for their support in expanding Maryland’s global economic reach. This record funding represents boundless possibilities.”  

During the first half of the year, the Department of Commerce assisted four dozen businesses across the state through the ExportMD program, which provides matching grants of up to $5,000 to help local companies market their goods and services to global customers. The program’s success is greatly attributed to the Small Business Administration program, allowing the department to quadruple the number of companies it has funded annually over the past decade. 

The next application deadline for the ExportMD program is November 1. Eligibility requirements are available on the Maryland Department of Commerce website.

“The U.S. Small Business Administration continues to be a strong advocate for Maryland’s international efforts, having awarded this funding to our agency for over a decade,” said Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson. “Our team is hitting the road with the Maryland Partners in International Trade alliance to provide in-person outreach on available exporting programs—this will ensure our programs are reaching businesses in every region of Maryland and make sure everyone knows that opportunities for global expansion exist.”

Maryland’s Office of International Investment and Trade stimulates foreign direct investment in the state, offers export assistance, and coordinates international trade and investment missions and trade show opportunities for Maryland companies. The state has 19 foreign trade offices, including in Durban, South Africa; Singapore, Malaysia; Sydney, Australia; São Paulo, Brazil; Montreal, Canada; Santiago, Chile; Shanghai, China; Bogot, Colombia; Delhi, India; Tel Aviv, Israel; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Mexico City, Mexico, Liima, Peru; Taipei, Taiwan; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Manchester, England; Heidelberg, Germany; and Paris, France.