WASHINGTON, D.C. (BRAIN)—The Alliance for Biking & Walking is awarding $125,000 in grants to seven grassroots biking and walking advocacy organizations.
This third round of Advocacy Advance Grants will be used to jump-start three emerging advocacy organizations and to fund four innovative campaigns with the potential to dramatically increase biking and walking.
The first round of 2010 grants was highly competitive with 45 proposals totaling nearly $750,000. The Alliance is pleased to announce the following recipients:
Bicycle Alliance of Washington
A $12,500 matching Innovation Grant will assist the Bicycle Alliance of Washington in efforts to tap state funds appropriated at the local level, a newly-identified potential funding source for biking and walking projects in the state. The Bicycle Alliance will introduce this funding opportunity to bicycle advocates in five cities across Washington. Through outreach to key advocates, education, and local workshops, the Bicycle Alliance will increase the percentage of biking and walking projects applying for and receiving this funding.
Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin will receive a $20,000 matching Innovation Grant to create a district-wide Safe Routes to School (SRTS) plan and work with four pilot schools to create and implement action plans. With a new full-time SRTS Developer embedded in the Madison Metropolitan School District, the Bike Fed has a unique opportunity to work side-by-side with the Superintendent's office and closely with school principals, students, and parents. The partnership will ensure the new SRTS plan has deep support and realistic, feasible goals. The ultimate goal of this effort is to develop action plans at all 48 schools so that walking and biking become commonplace among children in the district. Bike Fed also hopes this district will serve as a model for others in the state and country.
Bike Pittsburgh
A $15,000 matching Innovation Grant will bolster Bike Pittsburgh's Car Free Fridays program. This innovative effort engages a wide range of transportation partners to focus on a mutual goal of challenging commuters not to drive alone to work. The event will spotlight one neighborhood each month, engaging municipal managers to encourage residents, shoppers, and patrons to commute, shop, and visit car-free. BikePGH will also introduce a bike/walk calculator application to tally users calories burned, and money and emissions saved. The application will provide the framework for a friendly competition between local employers and neighborhoods, and could be replicated to get entire municipalities, cities, and states competing on a per capita basis.
Consider Biking
Columbus, Ohio-based Consider Biking will use a $12,500 matching Innovation Grant to boost their Corporate Cycling Caucus program. Through a top-down strategy of having the area's biggest employers enable and encourage their workers to bike for any reason, Consider Biking aims to increase local bike mode share to 2% of trips by 2012. To achieve this goal, Consider Biking will utilize the principles of Community Based Social Marketing, the measurable strategy of changing behavior that has been tested and credited with many successes in Canada and Australia in the last decade. This workplace intervention program will unify the support of the corporate community to advocate for a bicycle-friendly Columbus.
Bike Denver
Bike Denver will receive a $20,000 matching Startup/Capacity Grant to launch a comprehensive public education and outreach campaign that will increase the number of people who bike in and around Denver. With assistance from a professional marketing firm, the campaign will emphasize the positive effects and emotions that result from biking and empower more people in Denver to ride for fun or transportation. The grant will also support Bike Denver's efforts to secure a commitment to build a permanent bike parking facility at Union Station, advocate for the adoption of a complete streets policy, and fully transition from an all-volunteer organization to a professionally run nonprofit.
Idaho Pedestrian and Bicycle Alliance
A $20,000 matching Startup/Capacity Grant will help elevate the Idaho Pedestrian and Bicycle Alliance's (IPBA) into an effective voice for pedestrians and bicyclists in Idaho. This grant will help IPBA expand workshop offerings for local advocates at a statewide conference, enhancing the effectiveness of the many local pedestrian and bicycling advocates and groups throughout the state. In addition, the grant will allow IPBA to hire their first executive director, develop their website and new media presence, and build membership.
New Jersey Bicycle Coalition
New Jersey Bicycle Coalition (NJBC) will use a $25,000 matching Startup/Capacity Grant to strengthen their legislative campaign to pass a vulnerable road user law and to ensure New Jersey's recently adopted complete streets policy is implemented. This grant will also help NJBC train new bike education instructors, and utilize current instructors, to establish a statewide adult and child bicycle education program. In addition, NJBC will hire their first executive director to manage these initiatives and take their statewide organization to the next level.
Advocacy Advance Grants are made possible with generous funding from SRAM, Planet Bike, and Bikes Belong. In addition to these grants, the Alliance works with the League of American Bicyclists with research and technical assistance as part of the Advocacy Advance Partnership.
