WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN)—The Alliance for Biking & Walking is awarding seven grants totaling more than $125,000 to grassroots biking and walking advocacy organizations.
The Advocacy Advance Grants will be used to jump-start emerging advocacy organizations and to fund innovative campaigns with the potential to dramatically increase biking and walking. These grants are a key part of the Advocacy Advance Partnership with the League of American Bicyclists. Launched this year, the grants are made possible with generous funding by SRAM, Planet Bike, Bikes Belong and Cannondale. Nearly 100 proposals totaling more than $2 million were received in this first round.
Awards include:
Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
A $10,000 matching grant will help the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota assemble and train a coalition to work towards statewide complete streets legislation in 2010. To do this they will develop an advocacy network with strength in both greater Minnesota and the Twin Cities metropolitan area, growing an informed membership base that can influence public policy for the 2010 legislative session and beyond. Relaunched in 2008, the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota provides leadership and a unified voice for bicycle education, advocacy, and efforts to make Minnesota more bicycle-friendly.
Walk Oakland Bike Oakland
Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (WOBO) will receive $15,000 matching grant to advocate for bicycle and pedestrian access in several upcoming street redesign projects. Their Bike Broadway campaign will ensure active resident participation in the planning process and will push Oakland to implement new bike lanes and a funding plan for other new bicycle and pedestrian facilities while strengthening WOBO’s foundation for long-term success. Founded in 2007, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (WOBO) is a grassroots organization working to improve neighborhood livability, vitality and sustainability by making Oakland a better place to walk and bike.
Pennsylvania Walks and Bikes
Pennsylvania Walks and Bikes will put a $30,000 matching grant to work to help build the first statewide coalition for biking and walking in Pennsylvania. The coalition will work to ensure state bicycle and pedestrian laws, policies, and funding are enacted. PA Bikes and Walks was founded in 2009 to create healthy, sustainable communities across Pennsylvania by making bicycling and walking safer, more convenient and more enjoyable.
Transportation Alternatives
New York City’s Transportation Alternatives will use $25,000 for a major research project and advocacy campaign focused on developing comprehensive recommendations for procedural, investigative and legislative reforms of the broken system of traffic enforcement. The “Blue Ribbon Commission” report will bring together key stakeholders for safer streets including families of crash victims, transportation unions, and the Department of Motor Vehicles. An ensuing legislative campaign will focus on winning historic new laws protecting vulnerable road users, namely children and senior pedestrians, and reforming enforcement practices at the city and state levels. Founded in 1973, Transportation Alternatives works to reclaim New York City from the automobile, and to advocate for bicycling, walking, and public transit as the best transportation alternatives.
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) will receive $25,000 to design and advocate for a pedestrian-, bicyclist- and transit-rider-centered Market Street. In addition to increasing bicycling, walking, and transit traffic on Market Street, the transformation will be a highly visible symbol for the community and nation. SFBC will use this experience to provide a set of tools for major street transformation that advocates around the country can use to work towards large-scale change on their own communities’ main street. At 10,000+ members strong, SFBC works to transform San Francisco's streets and neighborhoods into more livable and safe places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation.
League of Illinois Bicyclists
A $5,000 grant will help the League of Illinois Bicyclists (LIB) leverage a $5,000 matching grant to educate new and existing planners on proper bicyclist accommodations, education and encouragement, and bikeway funding tips. Through a course at University of Illinois Chicago, and several seminars that offer continuing education credits, they will help create a greater demand for bikeway funding in the state by educating planners. LIB will package this course and seminar so that other Alliance groups can easily replicate them. Founded in 1992, the League of Illinois Bicyclists is the statewide advocate for all Illinois bicyclists, promoting bicycle access, education, and safety.
Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling and Washington Area Bicyclist Association
Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (a local chapter of the DC regional WABA) will receive $9,600 to develop a handbook to help bicycling advocates understand how to best influence and play a constructive role during the design of new facilities. This resource will help bridge the gap between advocates, successful advocacy, and design engineers and will be available online for reference by advocates across North America. FABB is a working group of the Washington (DC) Area Bicyclist Association (WABA). The FABB mission is to make bicycling an integral part of the transportation network of Fairfax County, Virginia, part of the Washington metro area.
In addition, the Alliance is granting scholarships and travel stipends to the start-up grantees (Minnesota, Oakland, and Pennsylvania) to attend key trainings on membership development and winning campaigns. The Alliance thanks our funders, the League, and our volunteer grants committee for their assistance and support. For more information about the Advocacy Advance Partnership and the Alliance grants program, please visit www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org/grants (click on link).
