Columbus, OH — The application deadline for the USTA’s Matching Funds Grant (MFG) program for fairs is midnight, May 3, 2024.

Applications are available on the Fairs section of the USTA website.

The MFG program is available to county fairs and local horsepeople’s associations to support marketing and advertising campaigns that promote harness racing at the county fair level. Some ideas for applicable expenses are billboards, radio, TV, newspaper or social media advertising, door hangers, yard signs, and so much more.

Once the application is received, an email confirmation will be sent to the contact person as submitted on the application cover sheet. If you have not received an email confirmation, your submission was not received.

Please note that in order for your application to be considered complete, it must include:

• Filled out application cover sheet
• Typed marketing plan, between 250-1,000 words
• Typed budget, including your total applicable expenses and details how much you are requesting from the USTA (up to $1,000)
• Copies of quotes
• Proposed copy/draft ad, to ensure that 75 percent of the marketing efforts focus on harness racing

The USTA also has a program to assist fairs with the purchase of items that has a harness horse on it for grandstand giveaways. There is no deadline for this portion of the MFG program; money is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Fairs can purchase items locally or from a USTA-facilitated buying program. If a fair purchases an item themselves to be given away in the grandstand, they can receive reimbursement for 50 percent of the cost, up to $1,000, by sending in the Promotional Item Reimbursement cover sheet (page 3 of this PDF), a copy of the paid invoice and a photo of the item with a harness horse on it. The USTA has an online store for fairs to order t-shirts to be given away in the grandstand; inquires for login information can be sent to jessica.schroeder@ustrotting.com.

Questions about all the options within the Matching Funds Grant can be directed to Jessica Schroeder at 614.224.2291, x3212.