by Jessica Schroeder, USTA Outreach & Membership Enrichment Coordinator

Columbus, OH — The Matching Funds Grant program received the highest number of applicants in recent history in 2015.

The program awards $10,000 to county fairs and horsemen’s associations to advertise the harness races at the grassroots level. Another $10,000 is available to assist with purchasing promotional items.

Advertising grant recipients include:

• Allen County Fair (Lima, Ohio)
• Cuyahoga County Ag Society (Berea, Ohio)
• Davis County Fair (Bloomfield, Iowa)
• Dayton Horsemen Association (Dayton, Pa.)
• Defiance County Area Horsemen (Hicksville, Ohio)
• Elkhorn Trotting Club (Elkhorn, Wisc.)
• Fowlerville Harness Horsemen (Fowlerville, Mich.)
• Gogebic County Fair (Ironwood, Mich.)
• Goshen Historic Track (Goshen, N.Y.)
• Hancock County Fair (Findlay, Ohio)
• Harrison County Fair (Corydon, Ind.)
• Iowa Harness Horsemen
• Meigs County Fair (Pomeroy, Ohio)
• Menard County Fair (Petersburg, Ill.)
• Mercer County Ag. Society (Celina, Ohio)
• Midland County Fair (Midland, Mich.)
• Minnesota Harness Racing, Inc.
• Richland County Fair (Richland, Wisc.)
• Union County Fair (Marysville, Ohio)
• Wisconsin Harness Horse Association (Elkhorn & Westfield, Wisc.)

Additional recipients that received discounted promotional items, including toy horses, t-shirts and grocery totes, are:

• Ashtabula County Fair (Jefferson, Ohio)
• Bedford County Fair (Bedford, Penn.)
• Cobleskill Fair (Cobleskill, N.Y.)
• Franklin County Fair (Hilliard, Ohio)
• Greene County Fair (Carrollton, Ill.)
• Greene County Fair (Xenia, Ohio)
• Hawkinsville Chamber of Commerce (Hawkinsville, Georgia)
• Indiana Standardbred Association
• Little Brown Jug (Delaware, Ohio)
• Maine Harness Horse Association
• Maine Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association
• Mercer County Harness Horsemen’s Assoc. (Celina, Ohio)
• Ohio Ladies Pace
• Otsego County Fair (New Berlin, N.Y.)
• Ottawa County Fair (Holland, Mich.)
• Pickaway County Fair (Circleville, Ohio)
• Seneca County Horsemen (Tiffin, Ohio)
• Washington County Fair (Marietta, Ohio)

The Matching Funds Grant Program was started at the USTA for the 2006 racing season with a budget of $10,000. The program’s funding has since doubled and provides assistance to those working to encourage attendance at the harness races on the county fair level.

For a complete listing of fairs that have earned grants throughout the years, visit this page. For other ideas on how to promote the racing in your area, visit the USTA’s Racing Promotion Idea Center or the Matching Funds Grant webpages.