Overview
The League of American Bicyclists is delighted to announce its third year of Community Spark Grants to support the growing number of local grassroots changemakers and organizations across the country working to improve their communities through bicycling.
In 2024, the League’s Bicycle Friendly America program will award Community Spark Grants, of $1,500 each, to 15 organizations for projects and programs that spark change and catalyze a community’s ability to create places where bicycling is a safe, easy, and more accessible option. Our desire is for organizations to propose projects that help create Bicycle Friendly Communities and build capacity for local leaders and influencers by uplifting the community and creating inclusive coalitions that can shed new light on current issues.
In 2024, support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will fund 8 awards, as part of the CDC’s Active People, Healthy Nation℠ Initiative, which aims to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027. Separately, support from General Motors (GM) will fund 7 awards in 2024.
Eligible organizations are nonprofits and public or government organizations/agencies. Of the 15 organizations to receive awards, 7 must be in GM home communities. (See the list of eligible GM Communities here.) We are seeking proposals for projects that can be completed by the end of the calendar year (December 31, 2024).
Funds may support a wide range of bicycling-related projects such as but are not limited to, short-term pop-up events, education campaigns, tactical urbanism demonstrations, educational events or resources, accessibility audits, or street safety improvements. We are especially looking for projects with new perspectives that increase opportunities for healthy and active ways to get around, focus on issues faced by people from underserved or under-resourced populations, and include authentic engagement with the community.
Priority will be given to projects that have the broadest impact and have an equity lens to the work, such as, but not limited to working with underserved or under-resourced populations, or projects led by or primarily serving people from ethnic or racial minority groups, low-income populations, older populations, youth, and/or people with disabilities. For projects that are combining this funding with other sources, we want to see that this funding will make up a significant portion of the project’s overall budget or will provide “seed” funds that are necessary for the project to get off the ground.
The Community Spark Grant application will open on Monday, November 20, 2023, and the deadline to apply for a 2024 Community Spark Grant is February 1, 2024, at 5:00 pm ET. Applicants will be notified of award decisions in March.
Grant Timeline
- Application Opens: November 20, 2023
- Application Closes: February 1, 2024 at 5pm ET
- Applications Reviewed: February 2024
- Applicants Selected and Notified: March 2024
- Project Execution: March-December 2024
- Final Reports Due: End of December 2024
Eligible Organizations
- Public or Government Agencies/Organizations (e.g. Library, Parks and Rec Department)
- Non-Profits – 501(C)(3), 501(C)(4), and 501(c)(6)
- Other types of organizations will be considered on a case-by-case basis
- U.S.-based organization
Eligible GM Home Communities
Thanks to the support of General Motors, 17 of the 15 Community Spark Grant awards in 2024 will be available to GM communities or surrounding regions. See the complete list of GM cities here. If you have questions, please contact anna@bikeleague.org.
Project Categories
Fundable projects should be in one of the following categories:
- One Time Event
- Series of Events
- Classes/Educational Opportunity
- Pop-up Infrastructure/Traffic Calming*
- Placemaking/Tactical Urbanism*
- End-of-Trip Facilities (bike parking/fix-it stations, etc.)
- Giveaways or subsidies for bicycle equipment and/or accessories (e.g. lights, helmets, bells, locks, etc.)
- Bike audit, count, survey, or other evaluation/assessment effort (must have follow-up/community involvement to be eligible)
- Miscellaneous/Other
*Funding can only support temporary/non-permanent structures and materials such as paint, vertical delineators, bollards, and signage. For questions on if a structure or material is allowable, please email Anna Tang at anna@bikeleague.org
See here for example projects and links to resources to help you brainstorm project ideas.
What is not eligible for funding:
- Most permit-required infrastructure, such as sidewalks or concrete for road widening.
- Exceptions:
- Bike racks or bike fix-it stations would be allowable but need to show broader community context and impact.
- Temporary structures or demonstration/quick builds including paint, vertical delineators, bollards, and signage would also be allowable.
- Exceptions:
- Funding for personal use.
- Funds used solely towards covering a staffer’s salary.
- Petitions or signature gathering.
- Funds only used for advertising or promotional materials.
- Studies/research.
Technical Note:
This online application system allows multiple users to collaborate on an application together. There is a “manage collaborators” button at the top of the online application where applicants can manage who has access to the form and allow for more than one person to fill out answers. We encourage communities and organizations who are applying for a grant to work with others in their local community to submit one joint application. See our application portal FAQs page for more information about collaborating on the application.
Questions:
If you have questions, please email Anna Tang at anna@bikeleague.org
