BikeWalkKC’s startup is being made possible by an Advocacy Advance grant from the Alliance for Biking and Walking, supported by SRAM, Planet Bike, and Bikes Belong. The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation received a $30,000 matching grant establish BikeWalkKC here in one of the largest American cities without a regional bicycle advocacy organization.
We’re now busy starting up the organization and raising the $30,000 match. You can help us make the match by joining BikeWalkKC and making a donation to our fund raising campaign.
Alliance Awards $103,000 in Advocacy Advance Grants
Washington, DC – September 7, 2010 – With $103,000 in direct funding, the Alliance for Biking & Walking is galvanizing state and local bicycle and pedestrian organizations with its latest award ofAdvocacy Advance Grants. After a highly competitive selection process, the Alliance has chosen four organizations that are strategically poised to increase biking and walking in their regions and advance innovative campaigns that can be replicated in communities across the country.
“This round of Advocacy Advance Grant recipients spans the spectrum,” Jeffrey Miller, Alliance President / CEO, says. “From rural to urban communities, from the coast to the Heartland, the organizations will leverage these dollars to propel dramatic progress in their communities. The insight these advocates gain will not only enhance their individual organizational capacity, but build a stronger, more effective national movement.”
In the Startup/Capacity category, a $30,000 matching grant will build and re-energize the California Bicycle Coalition, providing a vital push for biking and walking in a state that not only boasts the largest population but also acts as a bellwether for the rest of the country. The Missouri Foundation for Bicycling and Walking will also use a $30,000 Startup/Capacity matching grant to establish a new Kansas City-based advocacy organization that will, among other campaigns, work to link the nation’s longest rail-trail to Missouri’s largest urban center.
In the Innovation category, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine will receive an $18,000 grant for a rural outreach effort and the Livable Memphis initiative will utilize a $25,000 grant for a creative trail campaign that incorporates local art and connects underserved communities.
Brent Hugh, executive director of the Missouri Foundation for Bicycling and Walking, said his organization is excited to utilize the Advocacy Advance Grant to organize and energize the Kansas City region. “It’s going to help us move Kansas City and Missouri light years forward in our bicycle and pedestrian advocacy,” Hugh says. “We’ll be able to create a new organization dedicated to bicycle and pedestrian advocacy in the Kansas City region and work on key projects like extending the Katy Trail to the heart of the metro area and helping area communities become Bicycle Friendly Communities.”
Since the program’s inception in 2009, the Alliance has infused state and local advocacy organizations with more than $500,000 in direct funding, scholarships and technical assistance. With the aid of the Advocacy Advance Grants, 24 local and state organizations have hired key staff, drastically grown their membership, and won critical campaigns that advance biking and walking in their communities.
The latest round of funding includes the following recipients and projects:
California Bicycle Coalition Education Fund
The California Bicycle Coalition Education Fund will receive a $30,000 matching Startup/Capacity Grant to reenergize CBCEF and aid in the hiring of a new Executive Director. The new Executive Director will work to create and lead a traffic justice campaign; advocate for a high-speed rail system with on-board bicycle accommodations and secure bike parking; and develop a statewide recreational bicycle route to promote bicycle tourism.
Missouri Foundation for Bicycling and Walking
The Missouri Foundation for Bicycling and Walking will receive a $30,000 matching Startup/Capacity Grant to create a Kansas City metro area bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organization. The new subsidiary will work to extend the Katy Trail; secure the designation of five Bicycle Friendly Communities in the Kansas City metro region; and achieve a coordinated regional funding system for trails and bike routes.
Livable Memphis
The Community Development Council of Greater Memphis’ Livable Memphis Program will receive a $25,000 Innovation Grant to create a 1.7 mile bike-walk artway – a combination of on-road bicycle facilities and in-park greenway that completes the trail connection between two key areas of the City of Memphis. The project will increase advocacy for public investments in bicycle infrastructure, unite isolated, low-income neighborhoods with public amenities, and exemplify how street re-programming increases pedestrian traffic.
Bicycle Coalition of Maine
The Bicycle Coalition of Maine will receive an $18,000 Innovation Grant for its Community Spokes Program, which leverages the expertise of BCM staff, board members and local relationships of rural citizen advocates to generate improvements in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and policy statewide. This project will serve as a model for rural communities that face challenges with advocacy capacity, bicycle funding and infrastructure.
The Advocacy Advance program is made possible by leadership funding from SRAM and generous support from Bikes Belong and Planet Bike. Read more at http://www.AdvocacyAdvance.org
About the Alliance: The Alliance for Biking & Walking is the North American coalition of more than 160 grassroots biking and walking advocacy organizations. The Alliance works to strengthen state and local organizations through research, sharing best practices, training, resources, and grants. For more information or to find a local organization visit http://www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org.
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