by Jessica Schroeder, USTA Outreach & Membership Enrichment Coordinator

Columbus, OH — Applications for the 2016 Matching Funds Grant program were highly competitive with 31 well written proposals submitted. A total of 18 fairs and horsemen’s associations were awarded money for advertising and promoting the harness racing at their fairs.

Winning proposals included billboard, radio and newspaper advertising, door hang tags, television commercials, posters, banners and an “Own a Horse” contest. The following fairs were 2016 recipients:

• Crawford County Agricultural Society (Bucyrus, Ohio)
• Darke County Agricultural Society (Greenville, Ohio)
• Defiance County Area Horsemen (Hicksville, Ohio)
• Fowlerville Harness Horsemen (Fowlerville, Mich.)
• Goshen Historic Track (Goshen, N.Y.)
• Iowa County Horsemen (Mineral Point, Wis.)
• Iowa Harness Horsemen’s Association (Iowa Fairs)
• Lorain County Fair (Wellington, Ohio)
• Macoupin County Fair (Carlinville, Ill.)
• Mahoning County Agricultural Society (Canfield, Ohio)
• Mercer County Harness Horsemen (Celina, Ohio)
• Midland County Fair (Midland, Mich.)
• Montgomery County Fair (Dayton, Ohio)
• Morrow County Fair (Mt Gilead, Ohio)
• Ohio Ladies Pace (Ohio Fairs)
• Richland County Fair (Richland Center, Wis.)
• Wayne County Agricultural Society (Honesdale, Pa.)
• Wisconsin Harness Horse Association (Elkhorn and Westfield, Wis.)

The Matching Funds Grant program was started in 2006 to aid county fairs and horsemen’s associations to support a grassroots marketing initiative at the fair level. The need for assistance ranged from $200-$1,000 (with $1,000 being the maximum assistance provided by the USTA), proving that marketing and promotion can be done at any level.

There is an additional $10,000 available to assist fairs and horsemen’s groups in purchasing items to be given away during the races at their fairs. Groups must submit the invoice for the product to jessica.schroeder@ustrotting.com and they will be reimbursed for half of the cost, up to $1,000 per group. Reimbursement is available on a first come, first serve basis until the $10,000 budget is reached.