by Trey Nosrac

Are you a trainer looking for a wealthy owner? Are you a gambler tired of getting pummeled by the whales and high takeout? Are you a small-time breeder who wants to promote your yearling? Do you have a new racing product? Can you think of a new harness racing initiative or a new way to introduce our old product to new people? Do you have an idea to piggyback off our sport in beneficial ways? Young or old, trying new roads can be rewarding.

One of my pet projects requires a philanthropist. How does one start? Grant applications can be a complicated, time-consuming world to navigate. Most grants are detailed, targeted efforts. However, there is a sub-category of grants where when you get the word out in the public domain and philanthropic organizations find you. Seeking this sort of grant is like tossing a message in a bottle into the ocean. You send the idea out into the big wide and see what happens.

Of course, this is a longshot, but I’m tossing because a longshot is better than no shot.

According to the New York Times, little is known about how Ms. Scott selects her grantees, and there is not a formal method to apply for funds. Grant recipients first learn of the windfall by being approached by representatives of Ms. Scott, often from the nonprofit consulting firm, the Bridgestone Group, and told they are under consideration for funding. They are sworn to secrecy.

Equine Initiatives and Programs
1246 Wing and a Hope Blvd.
T.D. Nosrac, CEO

August 12, 2021

Mackenzie Scott Foundation

Address?

Dear Mac (or Bridgestone Group),

Congratulations on donating $8.5 billion dollars to 786 organizations and initiatives since July 2020. This is WAY more than me.

I figure the odds of you reading this proposal are about one in a thousand. However, the odds of me filling out a complete Grant Proposal and following proper channels are WAY longer than the odds of your reading my letter.

Let me be brief.

Addiction is a bitch.

We all know this. We all have watched friends and family members struggle and die in the clutches of addiction. Programs leading to recovery are welcome, but their success rate is disheartening. Weekly, I look into the frightened eyes of patients who reside at an in-house addiction recovery facility. The urge to help these struggling souls is overwhelming. Help is elusive. Money is not the answer. At best, money is merely a tool that can lead to some results when applied appropriately.

IMHO, when these addicts leave the facility (if they complete the 90-day program) is a turning point. The loss of structure and supervision is a deadly combination, the transition to sobriety difficult. I have an idea that would save many.

I come from a strange world, harness horse racing, a sport steeped in family ownership and participation. My proposal is a mentor/worker program for the transition period after completing a resident program. My concept is not merely a job mucking stalls, although that is where many would begin. It will be an immersive program involving insemination of mares, the birth of foals, raising of youngsters, early training, business training, and retirement homes for these horses.

The benefits of working with horses are difficult to explain. Winston Churchill said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” I believe this to my bones. Working and being in the presence of a horse is a strange magic that soothes chaotic minds. The fresh air and physical work with horses can be therapeutic. My grand plan is for a complete facility where horses, mentors, and recovering addicts coexist as a nonprofit entity.

Should the impossible happen and this letter sparks a flicker of interest and a reply, I will suck it up, fill out every page of the official application, and flesh out my concept. But let us not put the cart before the horse, let us put the horse side by side with some people who could benefit.

Thanks for reading.

Keep giving.
Peace,
Trey