USG Resources Financing

Guarantees, Grants, Loans, and Insurance for Exporters

U.S. Department of Commerce

• Customized Export Counseling Services - The International Trade Administration’s U.S. Commercial Service provides export counseling to U.S. businesses which includes helping companies identify relevant trade finance and insurance tools provided by the Export-Import Bank of America, the Small Business Administration, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and other trade organizations to reduce the risk of international deals and enable companies to offer competitive terms of sale.

For an overview of financing and insurance products that can help your business build working capital, sell abroad, and mitigate risk, please also see: 

• Overview of Obtaining Trade Financing Assistance 
• Trade Finance Guide 
• Export Credit Insurance 
• Mitigating Currency Exchange Rate Risk
• Market Development Cooperator Program

U.S. Department of Energy

• Loans and Debt Financing - The U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Program Office provides a variety of loans and debt financing for large- and small-scale projects including research, development, and demonstration. Available loans include fossil, nuclear, and innovative clean energy loan guarantees. Also available are the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program and the Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program.

Export-Import Bank of the United States

• Financing Solutions - The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) provides financing solutions including fixed-rate Direct Loans in U.S. dollars, as well as Loan Guarantees and capital market issuances, both in U.S. dollars and in foreign currencies, to creditworthy international projects and customers. EXIM provides Export Credit Insurance and Working Capital Guarantees to U.S. exporters. Also, see these EXIM programs for exporters:
  • Environmental Exports Program
  • China and Transformational Exports Program
  •  Make More in America initiative 

U.S. International Development Finance Corporation

• DFC Partner Guide - The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) provides core financing and insurance products. Each product is described generally at DFC.gov, and more specific information is in the guide.

U.S. Small Business Administration

• Contact a Participating U.S. State and Territory - The U.S. Small Business Administration’s State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) provides grants through participating U.S. states and territories to help small businesses with export development. STEP funds can help cover the costs of learning how to export, finding foreign buyers, e-commerce, and other topics.
• Contact a local Export Finance Manager - The Small Business Administration’s Export Financing Programs: As part of the SBA’s suite of loan programs, the Agency maintains three export loan programs for U.S. small businesses. The programs support a range of export financing needs from working capital and purchase order financing through capital purchases.

U.S. Trade & Development Agency

• USTDA-Funded Pilot Projects - U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA)-funded grants can support feasibility studies, technical assistance, and pilot projects in emerging markets. USTDA projects test U.S. equipment and technology in overseas settings to promote cutting-edge U.S. solutions and identify new development opportunities for scalability and replicability throughout emerging markets. All feasibility studies and technical assistance are led by U.S. companies. 

U.S. Department of Transportation

• DOT Grants - The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) provides grants for a number of programs that help improve the efficiency and expand the capacity of transportation infrastructure, including ports and airports, and improve the movement of goods through supply chains.

USAID 

• Private-Sector Engagement - Provides an overview of how industry can engage with USAID, such as learning how USAID is working with the private sector worldwide, building private sector partnerships to solve developmental challenges, and modernizing foreign assistance through private sector engagement. Also, USAID has the Enterprises for Development, Growth, and Empowerment Fund (EDGE Fund) which aims to unleash business capabilities and influence commercial operations in the service of advancing development objectives.  
•  Grants.gov - Grants.gov provides a common website for federal agencies to post discretionary funding opportunities and for grantees to find and apply to them. Grant funding opportunities from U.S. government agencies mentioned in this government resource utilize Grants.gov 
• New Partners Initiative - The New Partners Initiative (NPI) seeks to lower the barriers faced by nontraditional partners—including local actors, U.S. small businesses, faith-based organizations, cooperatives, diaspora groups, minority-serving institutions, and civil society organizations, among others. NPI’s vision is to promote funding opportunities and capacity strengthening that elevate local leadership to define the priorities that matter to their communities, design and implement solutions with the full range of development partners, mobilize resources across local systems, and foster accountability for the results. 
• Business Forecast - The Business Forecast provides information about potential funding and partnership opportunities at USAID and offers partners the opportunity to engage with us early in the procurement process. The Business Forecast is issued while activities are still in the planning phase, so the information in it may change over time.   

NOAA

• Small Business Innovation Program - The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a highly competitive merit-based grant program that encourages U.S. small businesses to engage in federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D), with the end goal of developing innovative and commercially viable products or services.
• Public-Private Partnerships - Public-private partnerships are vital for bringing private sector innovation and agility into NOAA’s research and development enterprise. One of the key tools in NOAA’s partnership toolkit is the CRADA, or Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. Learn more about CRADAs here and search NOAA’s active CRADA partnerships.
• NOAA Ocean-based Climate Resilience Accelerators - A competitive funding opportunity to develop and implement accelerator programs that support small businesses and entrepreneurs commercialize ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes-based climate solutions.