CONCORD, NH – New Hampshire has been awarded nearly $1 million in funding to help the state’s small and medium-sized manufacturers access an initiative that helps them navigate the supply chain and stay resilient. The grant is notable in that Manufacturing Extension Partnerships funding was on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s chopping block just a couple of months ago.
New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership was awarded $924,376 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the state’s congressional delegation announced Thursday in a news release. NH MEP is part of public-private Manufacturer Extension Partnerships network, which provides medium and small manufacturers with resources and advocacy.
The money will allow New Hampshire’s manufacturers to fully participate in the MEP National Network National Supply Chain Optimization and Intelligence Network, which helps build resilient local supply chains for smaller manufacturers, the news release said.
“Investing in American manufacturing is critical in order to grow our economy, advance American national security and out build competitors, like China,” said U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. in a joint news release from her office that was also signed by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-NH 1, and U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-NH2.
Shaheen is a member and former chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which funds the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which provides MEP funding. It’s a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that promotes innovation and industrial competitiveness.
“New Hampshire is a small business state, and this funding will help ensure that Granite State manufacturers have the support they need to drive that progress. MEPs are proven winners that bolster our economy, generate growth and support good-paying jobs in Granite State communities. I’ll continue working to secure investment in them.”
Hassan added, “When Granite Staters are given a fair shot and the freedom to compete and thrive, there’s no limit to what they can do, and the NH Manufacturing Extension Partnership provides vital technical support and assistance that help manufacturers succeed.”
She said that advocacy of New Hampshire MEP leaders helped to overcome Trump administration attempts “to dismantle the Manufacturing Extension Partnership in New Hampshire and across the country and got this funding restored.”
The CHIPS and Science Act, which Shaheen, Hassan and Pappas supported, created the National Supply Chain Optimization and Intelligence Network, an initiative designed to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers build resilient local supply chains and strengthen manufacturing capabilities.
The MEP National Network helps manufacturers to meet critical needs, ranging from process improvement and workforce development to specialized business practices, including supply chain integration, innovation, and technology transfer, according to the delegation.
Since 1988, MEP has worked with more than 150,000 manufacturers, leading to nearly $150 billion in sales, creating or retaining more than 1.6 million jobs, and saving firms nearly $31.6 billion, their release said.
“In the past year alone, firms assisted by MEP served as critical parts of our defense industrial base supply chain, made innovations in hazardous waste removal for the industries that power American energy production and invested in workforce development programming and certifications,” the release said.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had said he planned to eliminate MEPs, saying they were economically wasteful. Shaheen, during an Appropriations Committee hearing earlier this month, countered that, noting that in Fiscal Year 2023, every dollar of federal investment in the program generated $24.60 in new sales growth and $27.50 in new client investment.
Pappas and Goodlander also stressed the need for investment in manufacturing, to help the state’s economy, create jobs, increase global competitiveness and strengthen national security.
The pair have been advocating to protect NH MEP funding in the House since potential cuts were first announced in April, the release noted. The pair sent a letter to the Trump administration urging support for domestic manufacturers in New Hampshire and across the country in the wake of the administration’s move to end contracts for 10 MEP programs. They also urged fellow members to support NH MEP funding in the FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.