Riding For Focus FAQ

eligibigilty criteria

How can I start a Riding for Focus program?

Schools can start a Riding for Focus program through one of three pathways:

Grant: Eligible schools may apply to receive bikes, curriculum access, and implementation support from Outride.
Purchase: Schools and organizations that do not receive or are not eligible for a grant may purchase the program directly from Outride.
Build Your Own Program: Organization can use the freely available open access curriculum to design a program without a grant or purchase.

Who can apply for the Riding for Focus grant?

Organizations eligible to receive a Riding for Focus grant include:

Public middle schools serving 50% or more students from low-income backgrounds.
Partnerships between a public middle school and a local nonprofit organization that provides implementation support. Applications for these partnerships must be submitted through the school partner.

At this time, the Riding for Focus grant is not available to elementary schools or high schools. However, any school may use the freely available open access curriculum.

How does Outride define students from “low-income backgrounds”?

Students from low-income backgrounds are defined by the student’s free and reduced-price meals, which is defined by the federal government. Learn more here.

If our school serves students outside of the designated grade range (for example ages elementary or high school), are we still eligible to apply for the grant?

Yes, your school may still be eligible to apply for the grant if your school serves youth outside of Outride’s designated age ranges (grade 6-8), as long as the requested school serves students within the grade range of 6-8 (i.e. K-8 schools or 6-12 combine middle/high). However, if the school support exclusively serves students outside of this grade range, your school would not be eligible for the grant.

How do I apply?

Review our Grant Guidelines
Create an organization account on our grant application portal, Survey Monkey Apply.
Invite any faculty or staff from your school or district as collaborators with Survey Monkey Apply
Complete and submit the grant application in Survey Monkey Apply. Once you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email. You can expect to hear from us within 1-3 weeks of submission.

What documents are required to apply?

To submit the application, you must upload the required documents:

Verification of student demographics
Principal letter of support

Our school is not located in the US or Canada. Can we apply?

We are currently only accepting applications for schools in the US or Canada.

THE PROGRAM

What can I expect from the Riding for Focus curriculum?

The Riding for Focus curriculum is a comprehensive 14-lesson program that uses cycling to promote student social, emotional, and cognitive well-being. Through progressive instruction, students learn fundamental cycling skills, bike handling techniques, and traffic safety concepts while developing confidence, independence, and a connection to healthy, active lifestyles.

The curriculum helps students build the knowledge and skills needed to ride safely in a variety of environments, including areas with light traffic, and encourages lifelong participation in physical activity through positive experiences on a bicycle.

Each lesson includes clear learning objectives, a review of previously learned skills, instruction on new skills, guided practice, health and wellness connections, and opportunities to assess student progress. These components work together to ensure students are building the skills and knowledge necessary for successful participation in the program.

The curriculum is designed to foster both confidence and competence on the bike, empowering students to become lifelong cyclists and supporting healthy, active lifestyles well beyond their school years.

Additionally, the Riding for Focus curriculum has been developed in alignment with SHAPE America National Standards, helping educators meet physical education learning objectives while delivering an engaging and impactful cycling experience.

View a curriculum overview here.

What do I need to know about program surveys and data collection?

To help Outride evaluate program implementation and participant experiences, improve program resources and support, and better understand the impact of Riding for Focus, program awardees are expected to participate in Outride's program reporting and surveys.

1. Teacher Implementation Survey (Required): One Teacher Implementation Survey is required for each complete implementation of the Riding for Focus unit.

This survey collects information about:

How the Program was implemented at the school;
The number of students who participated;
Educator observations and feedback regarding the Program; and
Opportunities to improve future program delivery and support.
Completion of the Teacher Implementation Survey is required as part of the Organization's grant reporting obligations.

This information helps us continue to improve the program year after year. Learn more about some of the updates that have been made at this blog.

2. Student Surveys: Outride provides participating schools with unique survey links that may be shared with students before and after program participation. These surveys collect information about students' experiences, attitudes, and self-reported outcomes related to participation in the Program.

Participation in student surveys is voluntary for students. Schools may invite students to complete the surveys but must not require participation as a condition of participation in the Program or any school activity. Students may participate fully in Riding for Focus regardless of whether they choose to complete a survey. Schools are responsible for ensuring survey administration complies with applicable school, district, and local policies.

Outride will provide participating schools with an aggregated summary report of survey responses when sufficient responses are available to protect participant confidentiality. Outride may suppress or combine results for small groups to reduce the risk of identifying individual participants.

Schools may use this data to improve their programs, bolster proposals for additional resources, and demonstrate impact to stakeholders.

To read more about what we are learning from this data, please click here to access Outride’s research resources.

Who is responsible for the assembling the bikes? 

Schools are responsible for establishing and maintaining a relationship with a local bike shop or certified bicycle mechanic to support bike assembly and ongoing maintenance needs.

Depending on your location, there may be a Specialized Retailer nearby. We encourage schools to use the Specialized Store Locator to identify the closest retailer and consider partnering with them for bike assembly and service. While working with a Specialized retailer is recommended, it is not required.

If your school already has an established relationship with a local bike shop, a non-Specialized retailer, or a certified bicycle mechanic, you are welcome to continue working with that partner.

Building a strong relationship with a local bike service provider can help ensure your fleet remains safe, reliable, and ready for students throughout the life of the program.

Who is responsible for bike maintenance and repair?

Schools are responsible for bike maintenance and repair and are expected to budget for the initial bike assembly as well as the ongoing maintenance, repairs, and replacement parts needed to keep their fleet safe and operational.

What is required for instructor training?

Each Riding for Focus program must have at least one trained instructor on staff. A trained instructor is an educator who will be directly responsible for teaching the Riding for Focus curriculum to students, most often a physical education teacher. Each teacher who instructs the program must be trained.

To become a trained Riding for Focus instructor, educators must successfully complete Outride's online instructor training course. The training is designed to prepare teachers to safely and effectively deliver the curriculum, manage equipment, and build students' cycling skills and confidence.

While only one trained instructor is required per school, we encourage additional staff members to complete the training whenever possible to build program capacity and support long-term sustainability.

Attendance at the Outride Summit and Camp Outride is encouraged but not required.

Learn more about these trainings from our recent Outride Summit and Camp Outride blog posts.

What do programs look like in action?

Visit our blog or Instagram to read about program spotlights.

Can I just use your curriculum?

Yes, we will offer our curriculum as an open access resource available Fall 2026 for any organization or agency to use to build their own program.

The Grant

What bikes are provided by the grant?

Outride provides Specialized Rockhopper mountain bikes as part of the Riding for Focus grant program. The Rockhopper is an entry-level hardtail mountain bike equipped with mechanical disc brakes and designed to withstand the daily use and wear typical of school-based programs.

Bikes are provided with color decals, making it easier for students and staff to identify different sizes. The seat posts also include numbered height markings to help students learn proper bike fit and simplify adjustments throughout the school year.

The number and sizes of bikes awarded will be determined based on your physical education class sizes, student height distribution, and overall program needs. This ensures that schools receive a fleet that best supports their students and program implementation goals.

Outride will make every effort to accommodate specific program needs and requests; however, all equipment allocations and accommodations are subject to inventory availability. Final bike quantities, sizes, and other program resources will be determined based on available inventory at the time of fulfillment.

XXS bikes have 26” wheels  - and will fit a student between the heights of 4’3” - 4’9” 
XS bikes have 27.5” wheels - and will fit a student between the heights of 4’8” - 5’1” 
S bikes have 27.5” wheels - and will fit a student between the heights of 5’0” - 5’5” 
M bikes have 27.5” wheels - and will fit a student between the heights of 5’4” - 5’10” 
L bikes have 29” wheels - and will fit a student between the heights of 5’9” - 6’1”

Please note: The Specialized Rockhopper frames provided through the Riding for Focus program are not designed with mounting points for adaptive equipment, such as tricycle conversion kits or adaptive wheels.

At this time, Outride does not provide adaptive bicycles. However, we are committed to supporting inclusive cycling opportunities and would be happy to connect schools and organizations with community partners, adaptive cycling organizations, schools, and manufacturers that specialize in adaptive bikes and equipment for students with disabilities and diverse mobility needs.

If adaptive cycling equipment is needed for your program, we encourage you to contact the Outride team so we can help identify potential resources and partners in your area.

What is the Riding for Focus grant agreement?

Outride requires a grant agreement, which must be signed by the school principal or administrator, as well as the appropriate school district representatives.

In addition to the grant agreement, Outride requires parental or guardian permission for student participation in the program. We also request consent to use photos, videos, and testimonials for marketing and communications purposes. This document is referred to as the Outride waiver.

Outride collects data to support research examining the relationship between cycling and student well-being. To facilitate this research, we provide a data collection consent form for parents and guardians. Families who do not wish for their student to participate in data collection may return the completed form to the teacher to opt out.

All required forms and documentation are available in both English and Spanish.

How many schools are awarded a grant each year?

The number of schools we grant each year can vary depending on available resources, funding, and equipment availability. The grant is a competitive process. Not all eligible schools will automatically receive a grant.

GRANT APPLICATION

What do I need to know about the grant application?

The Riding for Focus Grant Application is completed online and will ask for information about your school or organization, students, staff, and program goals. We encourage applicants to thoughtfully consider the following:

Why are you applying for a Riding for Focus program?
How will cycling benefit your students, school, or community?
Do you have the key elements needed to implement a successful cycling program?
If not, how can Outride support you?
Are you able to collect student data to support program evaluation? (Be sure to confirm your district's requirements regarding data collection.)
What barriers or challenges might impact implementation, and how do you plan to address them?

As you prepare your application, think through the logistics and be ready to paint a clear picture of your students, community, and unique needs. Help us understand your "why" and how a cycling program could create meaningful and lasting impact for your students and beyond.

We encourage collaborative applications. If you are a grant writer, please involve the PE teacher or other staff members who will be directly responsible for implementing the program. If you are a principal, executive director, or district administrator, be sure to include the perspectives of the educators and staff who will ultimately lead the program.

The application can be saved and edited collaboratively by multiple users. Changes will be automatically retained, allowing your team to work together throughout the application process.

Important: Please be sure to click “Submit” when your application is complete. Applications that are not formally submitted will not be reviewed or considered for funding.

Can we contact a member of your staff before applying?

Yes, reach out to us at ridingforfocus@outridebike.org

How is AI being used in my grant application?

Outride does not use AI to review or decide grant awards.

My application has been declined. Can I request feedback?

Yes, reach out to us at ridingforfocus@outridebike.org