Bikes Belong will award $40,000 in grants this month to five great bicycling projects. Our funding support for these paths, trails, and programs will enhance communities across the country, effectively putting more people on bicycles more often.

B & O Trail Association—B & O Trail (IN)

The B & O Trail Association (BOTA) will receive $10,000 to help purchase a 13-acre stretch of abandoned rail corridor in Hendricks County, Indiana. This path will be the first bike/ped connection between downtown Indianapolis and three nearby state parks, providing a recreation and transportation route for active Hoosiers. The volunteers at BOTA have worked for nearly a decade to garner community support for the rail-trail project, secure the rights to the corridor, and develop a plan for the pathway. As soon as the land is purchased, they will be able to utilize a $2.6 million TEA-21 grant earmarked for construction of the path. More about BOTA.

Venice Area Beautification, Inc.—Venetian Waterway Park (FL)

Venice Area Beautification, Inc. (VABI) will receive $5,000 to help build the final segment of the Venetian Waterway Park, a multi-use path on the west coast of Florida. When complete, these last 5 miles of path on both sides of the Intracoastal Waterway will connect downtown Venice with neighborhoods, parks, and schools while serving as the area's first bike/ped link to the Gulf of Mexico. The committed volunteers at VABI will help the city and county park staff with path maintenance and enforcement duties through their Trailblazers and Bike Patrol programs. More about VABI.

Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association—Hayward Cluster Singletrack (WI)

The Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) will receive $5,000 to help construct the first singletrack in the Hayward Cluster. The new 8-mile trail—the first of three planned singletrack trails in the cluster—will provide exciting routes for mountain bikers and help boost bicycle tourism. CAMBA has successfully developed more than 300 miles of mapped and marked mountain bike trails in northwest Wisconsin. Their nationally recognized trail system spans 1,600 square miles and two counties, and is a destination for mountain bikers throughout the upper midwest. More about CAMBA.

Adventure Cycling Association—National Cycling Network

The Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) will receive $10,000 to help establish the corridor plan for a U.S. National Bicycle Route Network. This system of bike routes, modeled after successful networks in Europe and Canada, will make bicycling a more visible and viable means of transportation and recreation on U.S. roads. ACA's expertise in creating bike routes throughout the U.S. have helped them forge partnerships to build momentum and support for this project. They have been working in close collaboration with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and serve on its task force on bicycle corridor planning. More about Adventure Cycling.

PedNet—From Proficiency to Practice (MO)

Columbia, Missouri's PedNet will receive $10,000 to launch the pilot of their bicycle safety and education program, "From Proficiency to Practice." This three-stage program will begin this fall by teaching bicycling basics to 600 fourth graders, training children in safe bike handling through an after-school program, and establishing a Bike Train for kids who want to ride to school. Columbia was chosen as one of four communities to receive SAFETEA-LU funding as part of the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program (NMTPP). Data and best practices gathered from PedNet's first year of "From Proficiency to Practice" will help them leverage NMTPP funding for a large-scale, community-wide bicycle safety and education initiative. More about PedNet.

About the Bikes Belong Grants Program

Since Bikes Belong's Grants Program began in 1999, we have funded 127 grant proposals in 40 states and the District of Columbia, awarding more than $1 million in cash and leveraging more than $450 million in federal, state, and private funding. Our facilities grants alone have helped finance more than 1,350 miles of bike paths and trails that link more than 5,500 miles of trail facilities. :view/grants/awarded:Search all our grants.]