Better Bike Share Partnership to Issue Micromobility Grants Across Five Cities, Chicago, Illinois, Detroit, Michigan, Portland, Oregon, Cincinnati, Ohio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2021

The Better Bike Share Partnership announced that it will issue $200,000 grants to organizations in five cities as part of its Living Lab program, an initiative that provides technical assistance to participants who seek to advance micromobility efforts in low-income segregated communities. This grant cycle is entering its third iteration and will last for two and a half years. Four of the Living Lab grant recipients are new, including:

1. The Northwest Side Housing Center in Chicago, Illinois: Through its teen organizing wing, the Belmont Cragin Youth Leadership Council, the community development non-profit will educate community members on biking throughout the neighborhood. Members of the Belmont Cragin Youth Leadership Council will also learn bike mechanics.
2. MoGo in Detroit, Michigan: The non-profit bikeshare provider will work with members of the community to identify structural barriers to the city’s bikeshare and bus systems. Information collected from community members will inform the development of new policies, strategies, and initiatives.
3. PDX Prescribe-A-Bike in Portland, Oregon: Administered through the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Multnomah County Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program, community health workers are empowered to provide access to the city’s bikeshare system, BIKETOWN, to clients who receive county health assistance.
4. Red Bike Go in Cincinnati, Ohio: The city’s bike share provider will seek to expand its discount program for residents living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level through community outreach efforts in two neighborhoods. Community outreach will involve collaborations with schools, community organizations, and youth-focused programming.

The City of Philadelphia will also continue its participation as a Living Lab city in partnership with Bicycle Transit Systems and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. In this grant cycle, the City will to grow its bike ambassador programs as Indego, Philadelphia’s bikeshare operator, seeks to double its fleet and expand into underserved needs over the next five years. Indego and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia already operate a variety of outreach and education programs as grantees of the Better Bike Share Partnership.

As bikeshare programs continue to grow across the United States, equitable service to communities in need has been a growing concern. The Livable Lab program is an example of how foundations, community organizations, municipal governments, and bikeshare providers can coordinate to ensure that diverse communities are well-served.

Last updated March 5, 2021