U.S. Department of Commerce Awards $2 Million in Grants to Help Businesses Export
November 26, 2002
The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded $2 million in
financial assistance to nine U.S. nonprofit organizations that work with small-
and medium-sized businesses to help them expand their exports to international
markets. The funds are made available through the Commerce Department's Market
Development Cooperator Program (MDCP), a public-private partnership developed to
help small-and medium-sized U.S. firms expand exports that support jobs. The
MDCP is a competitive, matching-grants program that builds partnerships by
providing federal assistance to nonprofit organizations involved in export
promotion. Awards are limited to $400,000 to each of the following
organizations:
- Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. to assist any
industry that relies on e-commerce to access markets in Europe, Japan, Korea,
China, South America and Southeast Asia.
- IPC Inc., to assist industries doing electronic
interconnection to access markets in China.
- Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce to assist service
industries to access markets in Latin America.
- U.S.-Thailand Business Council to assist franchises to
access markets in Thailand.
- The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and
Converting Technologies to assist printing and associated equipment industries
to access markets in China.
- San Diego World Trade Center to assist telecommunications
and bio-medical devices companies access markets in the Philippines, Vietnam,
China, Japan and Korea.
- CU Business Advancement Center to assist environmental
technology companies to access markets in China.
- Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission to assist wood
products companies to access markets in Spain and Mexico.
- Western States Tourism Policy Council to assist Arizona
travel and tourism companies to access markets in the U.K., Germany, France,
Netherlands, Japan and Korea.