New Outride Fund Grant Awards—More Kids on Bikes!
Outride is excited to announce our record-breaking grant awards from the Summer/Fall 2020 cycle, our third round of the Outride Fund since launching the program in 2019. Applications were received from 51 tremendous cycling organizations and programs in three core funding areas: Youth Cycling Education, Youth Rider Development, and Trails, PumpTracks, and Bike Parks. After careful deliberation, the Outride Fund awarded matching grants totaling $253,000 to 33 amazing and inspirational youth cycling projects in 17 unique states.
In the inaugural year of the Outride Fund, we have committed a total of 76 matching grants totaling $513,000, to organizations in 30 states across the nation. As always, the matching grant nature of the Outride Fund means double the impact, resulting in over $1 million dollars invested in local grassroots organizations and cycling programs around the US.
Andy Cunningham, Ph.D., Outride Program Manager shared, “Best of all, we are just getting started. The Outride Fund, along with Riding for Focus, will continue to be a powerful source of access and equity, providing bold new cycling opportunities for the children and communities that need access to bikes the most.”
On behalf of the Outride team and our many community partners, Thank you all for your continued support, and your investment in this powerful and transformative work. Read on and be inspired with these highlights from each of the three funding areas of funding—Youth Cycling Education, Youth Rider Development, and Trails Projects.
Congratulations to our 33 New Outride Fund Awardees!
Youth Cycling EducatioN
AIM ACADEMY, Granted $15,000, Conshocken, Pennsylvania
BIKE CLUB OKC (Cycles for Life), Granted $10,000, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
COMMUNITY BIKE COLLECTIVE, Granted $15,000, Watsonville, California
EVANSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, Granted $2,500, Evanston, Illinois
FREE BIKES 4KIDZ (ALBUQUERQUE, NM), Granted $15,000, Minneapolis, Minnesota
GS ANDIAMO JUNIOR CYCLING, Granted $5,000, Redlands, California
PASCUA YAQUI CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION, Granted $4,200, Tucson, Arizona
SAN DIEGO COUNTY BICYCLE COALITION, Granted $10,000, San Diego, California
USA CYCLING, Granted $10,000, Colorado Springs, Colorado
YMCA OF SAN FRANCISCO, Granted $15,000, San Francisco, California
YOUTH RIDER DEVELOPMENT
904 DUVAL DEVILS, Granted $3,000, Ponte Vedra, Florida
AUGUSTA COMPOSITE TEAM, Granted $1,000, Harlem, Georgia
BENTONVILLE WEST MTB CLUB, Granted $2,000, Bentonville, Arkansas
CAPITAL CITY COMPOSITE, Granted $3,000, Tallahassee, Florida
DURANGO DEVO, Granted $7,000, Durango, Colorado
FLYRS MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPOSITE TEAM, Granted $5,000, Flagstaff, Arizona
PENUEL BICYCLES (MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT FOUNDATION), Granted $10,000, Inglewood, California
MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM, Granted $5,000, Mammoth Lakes, California
MONTANA VELO/MONTANA CYCLING LAB, Granted $5,000, Helena, Montana
NORTHEAST INDIANA COMPOSITE TEAM, Granted $3,500, Ft. Wayne, Indiana
OUTCYCLING FEARLESS FLYERS, Granted $12,500, New York, New York
RIDE UP GRADES, Granted $15,000, Brooklyn, New York
SAN DIEGO VELOYOUTH, Granted $7,000, Bonita, California
SILOAM SPRINGS NICA, Granted $1,000, Siloam Springs, Arkansas
THE REGION COMPOSITE, Granted, $2,500, Griffith, Indiana
TRIANGLE BIKEWORKS TYMBR WOLVES, Granted $6,500, Carrboro, North Carolina
UPPER VALLEY BIKE TEAM, Granted $2,000, Rexburg, Idaho
TRAIL PROJECTS
HOOD RIVER AREA TRAIL STEWARDS, Granted $5,000, Hood River, Oregon
OKLAHOMA EARTHBIKE FELLOWSHIP, INC., Granted $10,000, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
SANTA BARBARA MOUNTAIN TRAIL VOLUNTEERS (Sage Trail Alliance DBA), Granted $10,000, Santa Barbara, California
TRAILGATORS BOOSTER ASSOCIATION, Granted $7,500, Dublin, Ohio
TRAILS FOR YOUTH, Granted $13,000, Springfield, Virginia
VERDE VALLEY WHEEL FUN (FUN), Granted $15,000, Sedona, Arizona
Now— get inspired by reading about some of the highlights of the awarded projects that will spark your imagination and creativity to get more kids on bikes—and perhaps motivate you to apply to the Outride Fund. The magic of these community partnerships is that they build friendships and life-long learning opportunities resulting in trails, programs, riders to last a lifetime.
Evanston Public Library Teen Cycling Club
—GRANTED $2,500—
Evanston, Illinois
Support their EverydayHero Campaign
The Evanston Public Library (EPL) Girls Cycling program creates a space for young women to learn and grow. It is a six-week course directed at middle school age girls from communities of color that teaches basic bike mechanic skills, rules of the road, cycling experience, and ties into STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) learning with lessons in engineering and physics. They are helping to build future cyclists and leaders in STEAM! Libraries loaning books is not a new thing —but loaning bike tools and giving away bike gear? Yes! The Cycling Program joined the mobile library in the parks with fix a flat demos, free air and helmets, and lock and patch kit giveaways. On the creative side, check out their virtual session of the EPL Girls Cycling Program for an Evanston Mural Scavenger Hunt and Mural Cycling Tour.
The program intentionally markets the program to communities of color through connections with the Evanston school system, EvanSTEM, and partnerships with community organizations specifically serving underserved young people. EPL will provide bikes as needed and helmets and locks to participants to reduce any income barriers associated with the program. They will also work to bring in youth mentors of color as well as diverse female mechanics to assist with the program.
The Evanston Public Library (EPL) is more than a place with books. In addition to traditional library services, EPL supports the Evanston community in many ways, including basic computer skills classes, free social worker services, teen LGBTQIA+ support groups, and STEAM programs for children and teens of all ages. EPL also has a deep STEAM connection with Northwestern University. Through this connection, they are able to provide multiple STEAM-based programs (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). This is where the bicycling program comes in.
Learn more about EPL’s work throughout Evanston and how to support their work. Special thanks to Courtney Ree Tanner and the Library Teen Services Team!
FEARLESS FLYERS
—GRANTED $12,500—
New York City, New York
Support their EverydayHero Campaign
Fearless Flyers is sports-based youth development that teaches mindfulness, discipline, communication skills, and teamwork. Through cycling and training for the NYC Pride Ride, youth practice how to build progressively towards a goal, while taking on greater responsibility and leadership. Cycling and community are the pillars that support youth throughout the Fearless Flyers program.
The Fearless Flyers mission is to provide training, leadership skills, and employment to the LGBTQ+ youth 16-25. They provide a free bicycle, helmet, food, locks, and community building as an organization. The program is designed with peer support and safety at the core. The structure provides for growth in leadership from rider to Ride Lead, Senior Ride lead, and then Coach.
Fearless Flyers strives to create a safe, inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ youth to improve wellness and build community through cycling. Community is of key importance, given that 98% of the young people are LGBTQ+ identified, specifically transgender and gender non-conforming. The majority of their participants are people of color, generally between the ages of 16-24. They come from all 5 boroughs of NYC, though often from underserved communities including parts of Harlem and the South Bronx. Given the struggles that so many of their participants have tackled at a young age, there is also tremendous resilience within the community they serve. This is shown in the 90% program completion rate and the lasting relationships between alumni, many of whom return to build leadership as Ride Leads. Youth enter the program at varying levels of physical fitness, and staff work with each person to develop fitness goals that best suit them. For most, this is their first sports experience in an LGBTQ+ affirming environment.
Trails for Youth & Brookfield Park Community Bike Skills Trail
—GRANTED $13,000—
Springfield, Virginia
Support their EverydayHero Campaign
Brookfield Park serves the youth of the John R. Lewis High School pyramid, an amazing and diverse community with several Title-1 elementary schools. The goal of TrailsforYouth.Org (TYO) is to transform existing space in this park into a community focal point for all local youth to learn and embrace mountain biking in a safe and contained environment. Getting diverse populations of students outdoors and active has been TYO’s key focus for nearly two decades. The local community is extremely and wonderfully diverse. For nearly two decades TYO has served at-risk youth within this community, and this project will ensure sustainable recreation for these youth for years to come. The plan is to improve the existing small bicycle pump track at Brookfield Park and create an additional professionally built skills trail that will enhance the youth’s experience at the park. TYO has been in contact with community leaders, local park authority, local trail advocates, and equipment manufacturers to ensure this project’s success.
TYO’s Mission is “To mentor at-risk youth and provide opportunities for all children to benefit from a healthy, active lifestyle through safe outdoor experiences,” and their motto is “Teaching Kids to Overcome Obstacles on the Trail and in Life.” The two elementary schools that are within biking distance immediately surrounding Brookfield are title-1, low income schools and this program and project will serve this widely diverse population.
Since 2007, they have focused efforts on increasing the number of girls who participate. And to date, girls represent half of their mountain bike riders and in 2019, girls were the majority of our riders and racers. Of the riders who have stayed in the program to become paid youth counselors, 80% were people of color and 60% have been young ladies. The youth in the programs, and the volunteers, represent the community in which they live in and bike within. For more information visit us at www.trailsforyouth.org.