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Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) - New!

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $200 million to 57 organizations through the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) to help U.S. farmers and ranchers identify and access new export markets. Read full press release here.

SUSTA applied for and was awarded ATP funding to mitigate the adverse effects or tariff and non-tariff barriers. This one time shot in the arm will flow over a three year period to give SUSTA additional resources to assist our Southern-region exporters. SUSTA will take this opportunity to create events and opportunities in new markets to help our companies diversify. We will be in touch as those events roll out, and they will be listed on our events page. 

We will also be able to offer an expanded CostShare program. The ATP-funded cost-sharing program will very closely resemble SUSTA’s current CostShare program that is funded through the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Market Access Program (MAP). Moving forward, we will refer to the two programs as MAP CostShare and ATP CostShare. 

Watch SUSTA's webinar on ATP CostShare here.

The three major differences between the current MAP CostShare and the new ATP CostShare are:

  • Company size. To be eligible under ATP, a company’s size can be three times that of the Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard.
  • No graduation. Approved ATP CostShare companies can receive 50% reimbursement for eligible promotions in any international market including those markets that you already graduated from under MAP. Reimbursements through ATP will not count toward your graduation from a market. With MAP you are only allowed to be reimbursed for marketing and promotional activities in a country for five years; after five years you are graduated and can no longer receive MAP CostShare funds in that country.
  • Domestic Marketing Plans. Companies cannot apply for ATP CostShare to promote their products at domestic trade shows or through domestic seminars. Under MAP CostShare, companies can request 50% reimbursement of booth fees at domestic shows that the USDA considers international, as well as for domestic seminars where at least 10 international trade representatives are in attendance.

One thing worth mentioning, ATP will run alongside MAP. It does not replace MAP and funding is limited to up to three years. This is an opportunity to strengthen your marketing and promotional strategies, diversify, and continue to grow your business despite the challenges in the global market.

How to Apply: If you already applied for CostShare, you applied for MAP CostShare. Here are your options:

  • You can keep your funding as it is and proceed with MAP CostShare.
  • You can move your international marketing plans to ATP. This is recommended because of the 5 year graduation rule associated with MAP. To move your funds, please contact Deneen Wiltz, CostShare Director.
  • You can keep your MAP CostShare application as is and also apply for ATP CostShare. Conceivable, a company could request the maximum $300,000 in reimbursement through MAP and the maximum $300,000 reimbursement through ATP.

If you have not yet applied for CostShare, let Deneen Wiltz, CostShare Director, know during the application process which program you are applying under for each country.

If you have any questions, contact Bernadette Wiltz, Executive Director.