Maine Made Trade Show Grants: How to Get Up to $5,000 Per Show
If you're a Maine vendor who's been funding trade shows out of pocket, paying for booth fees, travel, lodging, and materials from your own bottom line, you're leaving money on the table. The Maine Made DTAP (Domestic Trade Assistance Program) exists specifically to help vendors like you, and most people don't know it's available.
This program offers real financial support—up to $5,000 per show, grants for marketing materials, digital marketing campaigns, and wholesale development. For vendors who have stretched budgets and big ambitions, DTAP can be the difference between attending one show a year and building a serious wholesale presence across multiple markets.
The Hidden Benefit Most Vendors Miss
Trade shows are the fastest way to build relationships with retailers, wholesalers, and distributors. But the costs are real: booth rental, travel, lodging, samples, signage, and sometimes professional setup services. These add up quickly, especially when you're traveling out of state.
Most vendors assume they're on their own financially. They're not. Maine Made—the state's signature brand program for artisans, makers, and craft businesses—runs the DTAP program specifically to remove this barrier. The program was designed to help Maine businesses expand into domestic markets and build wholesale relationships that wouldn't otherwise be possible.
What DTAP Actually Covers
The trade show assistance portion covers the full range of costs you actually incur. This includes airfare, mileage reimbursement, lodging during the show, ground transportation to and from airports or venues, and meals while traveling. For the booth itself, DTAP covers rental fees, drayage (freight charges), accessory rental for display materials, and even shipping of product samples. If the show offers B2B matchmaking services—which many wholesale and combination shows do—those are covered too.
The grant covers up to $5,000 per show, and you can receive assistance for up to five shows in a grant cycle. That's a potential $25,000 in support for your trade show strategy in a single year.
Beyond Trade Shows: Other Grant Categories
While trade show assistance is the most popular DTAP benefit for vendors, the program offers additional categories worth knowing about. Wholesale Development grants go up to $6,000 and help you build the infrastructure and relationships needed to sell wholesale. Marketing and Collateral Development grants reach $8,000 and support professional packaging design, branding materials, and promotional collateral that positions your products for bigger markets. Digital Marketing grants go the furthest at $10,000, supporting online advertising, content creation, and digital tools that expand your reach.
These categories work together. A vendor might use wholesale development funding to attend shows, then use digital marketing funding to follow up with the retailers they meet and convert those relationships into ongoing orders.
Who Qualifies
To access DTAP, you must be a Maine Made member. The application process itself isn't complicated, but it does require some documentation. You'll need your Federal EIN (Employer Identification Number), your Unique Entity ID (UEID), and sales data from the last calendar year and year-to-date sales. You'll also need to write a brief project description explaining how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your market and how you plan to use these funds to expand your domestic trade.
This last piece matters. DTAP is designed to help Maine businesses recover and grow. When you describe your project, connect it clearly to how the grant will expand your reach and strengthen your business's position in markets where you want to grow.
A Concrete Example: The New England Made Giftware & Specialty Food Show
Maine Made members get a real advantage at the New England Made Giftware & Specialty Food Show, held annually in Portland. The 42nd annual event in 2026 brings together approximately 250 exhibitors and is wholesale-only—meaning serious buyers and retailers, not just consumers. If you've never exhibited before, Maine Made offers scholarship opportunities for first-time exhibitors at this show specifically. Beyond scholarships, the program offers co-op booth opportunities with special pricing, which can dramatically reduce your upfront cost and make your first wholesale show feel less risky.
This is exactly the kind of event DTAP was designed to support. You get financial help to attend, professional development support to prepare, and an existing community of Maine vendors doing the same work.
How to Prepare Your Application
Before you apply, get your documentation ready. Gather your EIN and UEID. Pull together your sales records. Write down the specific shows you want to attend, including dates and locations. Think clearly about how you'll use the funds—not just to attend, but to make the most of your time there.
Maine Made also offers educational resources through the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) and Maine International Trade Center (MITC) that help prepare vendors for trade shows. These seminars cover booth setup, how to work a show floor, how to follow up with leads, and how to convert show contacts into real business. Many vendors find this preparation as valuable as the grant itself.
The 75% Rule
One important detail: DTAP grants cannot exceed 75% of your project costs. This means for a show that costs $3,000 total, the grant can cover up to $2,250. You'll need to contribute at least 25% yourself. This isn't a barrier—it ensures that vendors are genuinely committed to attending and have skin in the game. If a show is worth attending, you'll find the 25% match. And compared to paying 100% out of pocket, covering 25% with a grant backing you is a significant advantage.
Getting Started
Applications are submitted through mainemade.com. Start by reviewing the current grant cycle dates and requirements on their site. Have your documentation ready, sketch out the shows you want to attend, and describe your plan in clear terms.
If you've been thinking about wholesale shows or expanding into new markets but dismissed the idea because of cost, it's time to reconsider. DTAP exists because Maine understands that great products made here can reach customers everywhere—but only if vendors have the financial support to get in the door. You've built something worth selling. Let DTAP help you sell it.
