More than $50,000 awarded to projects dedicated to building great places to ride bikes

Since 1999, we have awarded 439 grants to non-profit organizations and local governments in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Our investments total more than $3.5 million and have leveraged $775 million in public and private funding. To decide which projects receive funding, we invite staff members interested in spending 10-12 hours reviewing, scoring, discussing and debating grant finalists to participate in the Grant Review Committee. We ask at least one person from each PeopleForBikes department to join the group because every team, and every person, brings a fresh and different perspective.

The process was shaped by the quarantine: Meet with the committee in the conference room? No way. Lay out the pros and cons on a whiteboard? Nope. Homemade rhubarb coffee cake to boost your blood sugar during the mid-review lull? Couldn’t do that either. After months of e-meetings, we struggled to stay focused, but the energy of the projects and the people who are building them lifted our spirits.

Every year, we get more top notch grant proposals than we can possibly fund. Selecting the best ones  is a difficult task. But as long as projects keep getting built, we’ll keep funding because we know, perhaps now more than ever, that great places to ride are essential. Here, with deep appreciation to the brands that support our Community Grants Program (Batch, Cannondale, Giant, Niner, Shimano, Trek and Vaast), are the Spring 2020 grant recipients:

Wilmington Fix-it Stations: $2,500

Wilmington, Delaware

The Urban Bike Project will use this funding to purchase and install a bike fix-it station to complement the two stations the City of Wilmington is building. The stations will be placed in key locations around the city that do not have access to other bike repair options.

Bike Durham Low Stress Network Advocacy Campaign: $10,000

Durham, North Carolina

This comprehensive advocacy campaign will help Bike Durham develop a complete multimodal network. Their ambitious goal: A city commitment to fund and implement 125 miles of slow streets, protected bike lanes and greenway infrastructure by 2025.

Creation of a Beginner Trail at Cacapon State Park: $10,000

Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

This PeopleForBikes grant will help the Cacapon Resort State Park foundation build a 2.6-mile, beginner-level mountain bike trail to complement the existing advanced trails throughout the park. This addition will create a trail loop that meets the requirements  for NICA mountain bike team races, helping support the local team as well as residents and visitors from near and far.

Baltimore Play Streets Advocacy Program: $8,000

Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore will use this funding to develop a Play Streets pilot to plan and pay for community events that will  serve as outreach and engagement tools to help plan future infrastructure improvements.

RVT Mile 19 Gap: $7,500

New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

A devastating flash flood in July 2019 created a 40-foot chasm in the 51-mile Redbank Valley Trail, rendering it impassable along a popular stretch. PeopleForBikes’ grant will help the Redbank Valley Trails Association build a bridge to reconnect these sections and revive this popular destination for residents and visitors.

Silver Dollar BMX Relocation and Track Rebuild: $7,500

Chico, California

PeopleForBikes’ grant will help fund this track relocation project. The new facility will include two world-class BMX tracks, allowing the organization to expand and serve more riders across Northern California.

Connecting Trails to Downtown: $5,900

Gorham, New Hampshire

Coos Cycling Club will use this funding to connect the existing mountain bike trail network in Gorham to the downtown area with three related projects: improvements to the main “Pipeline” trail, addition of an easy climbing trail and construction of a loop trail with skills features.

Depot District: $1,000

Muskogee, Oklahoma

Neighbors Building Neighborhoods of Muskogee will use this grant to install bike racks in the newly renovated Depot District public space. The bike parking will serve people riding to downtown attractions including the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Muskogee Little Theater.