Fundraising – Bicycle Grant Awards from Bikes Belong

Is your nonprofit organization or club involved with bicycle riding? If so, you should check out a grant funding opportunity from the Bikes Belong Coalition. Since 1999, Bikes Belong has funded 127 grant proposals, awarding more $1 million in cash and leveraging more than $450 million in federal, state, and private funding.

The mission of the Bikes Belong Coalition is to work with bicycle suppliers and retailers to help put more people on bicycles more often. Through national leadership, grassroots grants, and promotion, they work to make bicycling safe, convenient, and fun throughout the United States.

The Bikes Belong Coalition accepts grant applications from organizations and agencies within the U.S. that are also involved with putting more people on bicycles more often. The grants are awarded to nonprofit rganizations, they do not fund individuals.

The grants program funds projects in three categories:

1 – Facility projects such as: bike paths, trails, routes, lanes, parking, and transit, Mountain bike facilities, BMX facilities, and innovative and unique

high-profile projects.

2 – Education projects such as: cycling safety programs, recruiting large numbers of new riders and innovative pilot projects.

3 – Advocacy projects such as: initiatives that will make a newer group sustainable, and have tangible long-term goals, programs that make existing organizations significantly more effective at generating ridership, and innovative pilot projects.

I recommend visiting the Bikes Belong website to find out about the recipients of previous awards. In August 2006, more than $40,000 was awarded.

Bikes Belong reviews grant applications on a quarterly cycle. You can also find the application guidelines online and then you must submit six copies of your

application through the mail.

Visit www.bikesbelong.org for more details.

Article by Amy Passmore of DIY Fundraising. Visit www.diyfundraising.com for do-it-yourself fundraising ideas for nonprofit organizations, clubs, schools and groups.