REI/Bicycle Friendly Communities Grant Program

Submitted by superadmin on Thu, 01/17/2008 - 23:09.

The REI Bicycle Friendly Communities Grant Program—administered by the Bikes Belong Foundation in partnership with the League of American Bicyclists—supports designated and aspiring Bicycle Friendly Communities that are demonstrating success, employing creative strategies, and showing marked advancements in becoming more bicycle friendly.

One of the goals of the REI/BFC Grant Program is to help cities maintain the significant momentum generated by the BFC application process and utilize the feedback provided to them by the BFC review team. Awards range from $5,000 to $15,000 and can be used for a variety of purposes—from consulting and technical expertise to programs that generate ridership and promote bicycling.

This is not an open application; advocacy organizations and city planning departments are invited to apply by the review committee immediately following their BFC award designation or renewal.

In January 2008, the Bikes Belong Foundation awarded the first two REI Bicycle Friendly Communities grants, to New York and Chicago:

Transportation Alternatives (TA) will use their award to support a comprehensive citywide bike parking initiative designed to increase bike transportation in New York by giving cyclists safe, convenient places to park and store their bicycles. TA will conduct advocacy work for "parking spot swaps" and legislation mandating bicycle access to commercial buildings. The grant will also back a bike-rack design competition organized by the NYC Department of Transportation, TA, and city art museums.

Chicagoland Bicycle Federation will use their funding to produce the first of a series of Sunday Parkways events in Chicago, modeled after Ciclovia in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Bogotá, Columbia. With a goal of "transforming communities by invigorating their lifelines—their streets—every weekend from June through October," Sunday Parkways promises to dramatically increase ridership in the city of Chicago by creating a car-free community celebration that other U.S. cities can adopt.