2025 APPLICATION SEASON IS now OPEN!
Application season is November 1-January 15.
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Eligible applicants include 501c3’s serving financially-challenged or marginalized communities in Dane County and Wisconsin and through partnerships with public schools.
We distribute bikes through our vast network of 501c3 nonprofit partners who serve marginalized communities and through public schools in southern Wisconsin. We give bikes to both kids and adults.
• Applicants can apply for up to 100 bikes so we can equitably provide bikes throughout the region. Please note that our giveaways are dependent upon the success of our bike donation drives so the number you request cannot be guaranteed.
• Organizations in Dane County will be prioritized for our giveaway season in spring but southern Wisconsin organizations are invited to apply.
• Looking for a bike for yourself or a family member? Please reach out to your school social worker or a nonprofit you receive services from. They receive our bikes and determine the recipients. You can call the bike center at 608-405-0385 if you are having a transportation crisis and we will do our best to work with you to provide assistance.
3 Ways We Distribute Bikes
• In-person Bike Giveaway Events: these will take place on two weekends in April. Participation is through the invitation of a 501c3 nonprofit or a school social worker who has applied to receive bikes.
• Bulk Pickups: these work great for organizations outside of Dane County that have applied for bikes. Your organization would register for the bikes, provide us with the list of sizes and complete data on the recipients. Then, we would schedule you to come and pick up the bikes Monday-Friday in Madison.
• Voucher Program: this program works best for organizations that do not need 100 bikes at once but instead, want bikes on an as-needed basis throughout the year. Job center, food pantries, and organizations serving adults often fit this style well.
*NEW IN 2025*
Please note that we have a major change to our program due to the increased demand for our services, due to the increases in costs for parts and labor, and due to organizations applying for bikes but not arriving to pick up their bikes. Organizations will be asked to provide an application fee of $20/bicycle. This was a very hard decision for us as we want to make bicycle-based transportation widely available for all. However, we also need to ensure that our program is sustainable and has funding to support the investments we are providing to our community. Our fundraising continues to fall short to fund this costly program that requires thousands of hours of labor. Many in our community have grown to depend upon our services. We are asking organizations to fund the application fees through sponsorships or however they see fit. For schools, be sure to check with organizations that have adopted your school as this is likely a minimal fee for them to cover.
This summer, we surveyed our 215 recipient organizations and provided many options to help us ensure that this program is sustainable and can continue. The application fee option proved to be acceptable to a majority of survey respondents. The application fee will help offset our operational costs and will provide reliable revenue we can count on to cover our costs to collect bikes, refurbish bikes, cover the costs of parts, overhead to maintain our bike center, pay for the labor of professional mechanics and administrative costs to organize the giveaway events. In 2024, we have only raised $140K of the $270K needed to adequately fund the bike giveaway program. Please feel free to email us to discuss this difficult change that will ensure that we can continue our impactful work.
Bikes for Kids handles collecting and repairing bikes but we rely on our distribution partners to select bike recipients to ensure they’re going to those most in need. These organizations then register bike recipients for the bike giveaway program in the spring.
Applications are reviewed on an individual basis. For first time applicants, it’s best to talk with us about the process before you apply. Applying for bikes requires organizations to have one point of contact to register recipients and coordinate the giveaway event with your families in April/May. Please send an email to start the conversation.
