Pedal Forward Community Cycling Program

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Executive Summary

Pedal Forward Community Cycling Program is a nonprofit in Colorado that teaches young people ages 8 to 16 to ride a bike, builds their skills and confidence and teaches safe streets habits so that cycling becomes a real way to get around and have fun. Many young people from low-income families have never learned to ride, or have nowhere safe to ride.

Cycling is transportation, exercise, recreation and a way to see the neighborhood. A child who learns to ride gains freedom, fitness and a skill that lasts for life. A child who never learns may miss all of it, along with chances to get to school, a job or a friend's house.

With this grant we will teach about 100 young people to ride in Year 1 at 3 park sites, with loaner bikes and helmets for every participant. We do not promise that every child will become a cyclist. We promise a safe place, patient teaching and a chance to ride.

Our Year 1 budget is about $117,000, growing to about $152,500 by Year 5 as we add sites, instructors and riders. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 4 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director and three part-time instructors) and 7 by Year 5.

We are asking the Front Range Active Communities Fund for $40,000 for instructor stipends, the bike and helmet loan program and safe streets education materials. Our other income and startup support cover the rest. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this proposal, and we do not promise any result beyond what we describe.

Company Description

Pedal Forward Community Cycling Program is a nonprofit organization in Colorado. We are a registered charity with a volunteer board of directors, a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews.

Our mission. Every young person should have the chance to learn to ride a bike and to ride safely, whatever their family's income.

What we do.
- Run free, eight-week learn-to-ride sessions twice a week at park sites.
- Lend a bike and a properly fitted helmet to every participant during the program.
- Teach bike handling, rules of the road and safe streets habits in every session.
- Offer a group ride at the end of each session.
- Repair and maintain the loaner fleet with trained volunteers.
- Train and pay part-time certified instructors.

What we do not do. We do not allow anyone to ride without a helmet. We do not take children onto public streets until they have shown they are ready and an adult leader is with them. We do not provide childcare, and we do not promise that any participant will become a racer or a commuter. We follow the rules of our partner parks and our insurer.

How we got here. A group of cyclists and parents began teaching neighbors' children to ride in a parking lot on weekends. Families kept coming and many asked for more sessions. We kept simple records and gathered stories. This proposal asks for support to move from weekend lessons to a steady program.

Problem & Opportunity

Learning to ride a bike should be a normal part of growing up, and for many young people it is not.

No bike, no helmet. Bikes and helmets cost money, and children outgrow them quickly. Families with tight budgets often cannot buy one.

No one to teach. A child learns best with a patient adult who knows how to teach. Some parents never learned themselves or work evenings.

No safe place. Many neighborhoods have busy streets and no quiet space to practice. Children who try on the street risk a crash.

Unsafe habits. Young riders who never had instruction may not know how to signal, stop safely or share the road.

What we hear.
- A mother says her daughter is the only child on the block who cannot ride.
- A father says he would teach his son if he knew how.
- A teacher says several students walk long distances to school because they have no bikes.
- A police officer says many bike injuries involve children without helmets.

We do not claim that a bike program can solve every challenge. We believe that learning to ride opens a door to health, independence and fun.

Products & Services

Pedal Forward gives young people a safe, supported way to learn to ride.

How the program works.
1. Sites. We partner with three city parks that have paved areas away from traffic, and we bring bikes, helmets, tools and instructors.
2. Sessions. Each eight-week session meets twice a week for ninety minutes. Groups are small, with one instructor for about eight riders and a helper.
3. Fitting. Every participant is fitted with a bike and a helmet at the first session.
4. Skills. Instructors teach balance, starting and stopping, steering and signaling, with each rider moving forward at their own speed.
5. Safe streets. Every session includes a short lesson on traffic rules, signals and sharing the road.
6. Group ride. At the end of each session, participants ride together on a quiet route with adult leaders.
7. Follow-up. Graduates may borrow a bike for the season and join a monthly group ride.

Instructors. Our instructors are certified, pass a background check, complete our training and are paid a stipend.

Access and fairness. Programs are free. We welcome every young person whatever their skill level, and we offer adaptive bikes when we can.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Young people ages 8 to 16 from families with low incomes who live near our partner parks and want to learn to ride or ride more safely. Eligibility is based on school lunch status or income guidelines our board sets, and no child is turned away for lack of skill.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. In our weekend lessons we served a full lot every time and kept a waiting list. School partners and park staff told us that many more children want to learn than we can teach. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 100 young people at 3 sites. By Year 5, with more instructors and sites, we plan to serve about 220.

Where participants come from.
- School counselors, teachers and physical education staff.
- Park and recreation staff.
- Churches and neighborhood centers.
- Families who tell a friend.

Who else benefits. Families gain a safe, free activity. Neighborhoods gain more young riders who know the rules. Cities gain more people who can use a bike for short trips.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is a young person on a bike. We keep our early counts modest and honest so we can do the work well.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. Bike shops and clubs. They offer rides and sometimes classes, usually for a fee and often for experienced riders. We send graduates to them when they want more.

2. Parks and recreation classes. A few offer learn-to-ride classes, with limited sessions and no bikes to borrow. We partner with parks to bring bikes and instructors.

3. School bike safety days. They give an introduction in a single day. They do not teach someone to ride from the beginning.

4. Parents and friends. Many learn from a relative, when someone is available and patient.

5. Online videos. Helpful for tips, and no replacement for a person holding the seat.

What makes us different.
- Free to every participant.
- A bike and a helmet for every rider.
- Certified instructors and small groups.
- Safe streets lessons in every session.
- A path to group rides and a monthly ride for graduates.

We have spoken with parks, schools and other youth programs to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people and partners will find us.

Reaching young people.
- Schools. We will work with counselors, teachers and physical education staff to invite students and share a one-page sign-up form in English and Spanish.
- Parks. We will post flyers at park buildings and hold open learn-to-ride days.
- Families. We will hold a short information night at each park before a session begins.
- Neighborhood centers and churches. We will talk with leaders who know families.
- Word of mouth. Many participants will find us through a friend.
- A simple website and a phone line with a text option.

Reaching instructors and sponsors.
- Invite certified cycling instructors and bike shop staff through cycling clubs and shops.
- Offer an orientation, a background check and a short guide to teaching children.
- Give partners a short report each quarter with counts of riders and what they said.

How we decide who joins. We use a simple sign-up form and enroll participants in the order received, with priority for young people who have never ridden. We keep a waiting list when sessions fill.

What we watch. Sign-ups, attendance, riders who finish and how many return for a second session.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the instructors, buy bikes, helmets and tools, finalize the waiver, consent form and privacy policy with our attorney and sign park agreements.
- Month 3 (September): Begin the first eight-week fall sessions at three parks.
- Months 4 to 10: Run fall, winter and spring sessions, with a group ride at the end of each session.
- Months 11 and 12: Run summer sessions, survey participants and partners, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. Sessions are held on paved areas in city parks, provided at no or low cost. We store bikes in a trailer and a donated storage room.

Safety and privacy.
- Every instructor and volunteer passes a background check and completes safety training.
- Every rider wears a properly fitted helmet at every session.
- Two adults are present at every session, and no adult is ever alone with a young person.
- Bikes are inspected before every session and repaired when worn.
- We keep an emergency plan and a first aid kit at every site.
- We keep records private, share them only with a family's permission and follow a written policy.

Equipment. We buy about $18,000 of equipment once at the start: 30 loaner bikes in sizes for ages 8 to 16 ($12,000), 100 helmets ($3,000), bike repair stands and tools ($2,000) and a storage trailer ($1,000). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. Three part-time certified instructors, each paid $8,700 a year in stipends, lead sessions at the three park sites. We add instructors as we add sites.

Management & Organization

Carlos Mendoza, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work as a bike mechanic who taught neighborhood children to ride in a parking lot. I will complete the safety training we require of our instructors so I understand the program from the inside. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Certified Instructors. Part-time instructors who teach sessions, keep the bikes safe and talk with families. We will hire people who hold a cycling instructor certification or complete one in the first months, and who are patient with children. These stipends are part of our grant request.

Volunteers. Cyclists, mechanics and parents who help with bikes and groups after an orientation, a background check and training.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a bike shop owner, a school teacher, a parent, a banker who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a city transportation planner. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. A parks department staff member, a school principal and a cycling club leader give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $46,000 a year; certified Instructor (part-time), paid $8,700 a year.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Teach about 100 young people ages 8 to 16 to ride at 3 park sites.
- Have at least 85 percent of participants finish all sessions.
- Have at least 90 percent of participants who could not ride at the start ride a bike independently by the end.
- Have 100 percent of riders wear a properly fitted helmet at every session.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 90 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Participants enrolled, sessions attended and sites, from our records.
- Riding skills at the first and last session, from the instructor's checklist.
- Helmets fitted and bikes repaired, from our equipment log.
- Participant and family feedback, from a short, confidential form.
We report what we find, including what did not work, and use it to improve.

Growth over five years.
- Year 2: About 130 riders at 3 sites with a spring and fall season.
- Year 3: About 160 riders at 4 sites and a second instructor team.
- Year 4: About 190 riders at 5 sites and a group ride program for graduates.
- Year 5: About 220 riders at 6 sites and a partnership with schools for bike safety days.

Learning along the way. At the end of each quarter, the director and the board review the numbers and decide whether we are on track. If we are behind, we will adjust our outreach, our sites or our schedule before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 27 percent of our budget, down from about 52 percent in Year 1, as partners and donors give more. We will keep building those relationships every year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $40,000 from the Front Range Active Communities Fund for instructor stipends, the bike and helmet loan program and safe streets education materials, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Stipends for three part-time certified instructors, $26,000.
- Supplies: Bike and helmet loan program: 30 bikes and 100 helmets, repair and replacement, $10,000 (other funds add $4,000).
- Supplies: Safe streets education materials and traffic safety supplies, $4,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 66% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $117,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $7,300 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $61,000; city Transportation Department Partnership $30,000; cycling Industry Sponsors $18,000; individual Donors $8,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $46,000; certified Instructor (part-time) $8,700; bike Fleet Repair and Replacement about $8,000; helmets, Safety Gear and Supplies about $6,000; safe Streets Education Materials about $4,000; transportation and Site Costs about $5,000; instructor Certification and Training about $3,000; administration and Insurance about $8,000; about $6,100 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $25,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $12,000 for loaner bikes (30) in sizes for ages 8 to 16; $3,000 for helmets (100); $2,000 for bike repair stands and tools; $1,000 for storage trailer for site sessions; $2,000 for attorney review of the waiver, consent and privacy policy; $1,800 for banners, bilingual flyers and a simple website; $1,200 for background checks and first-year instructor certification; $2,000 for first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($25,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $26,500, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $52,000. We start with $6,000 from our founding board and $48,000 in startup support from a community foundation and a bicycle retailer, $54,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $117,000 in Year 1 to about $152,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $61,000, $49,000, $46,000, $43,000 and $40,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: city Transportation Department Partnership from $30,000 to $54,000; cycling Industry Sponsors from $18,000 to $34,000; individual Donors from $8,000 to $24,000. Our surplus is planned at about $7,300 in Year 1, about $7,200 in Year 2, about $7,300 in Year 3, about $7,300 in Year 4 and about $7,800 in Year 5. We grow from 3 park sites to 6 by Year 5, adding a part-time instructor for each new site.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $42,200, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $4,680 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per rider. In Year 1, our total costs are about $1,122 per rider served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more rider served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $658 per rider.

After the grant. City transportation funding, industry sponsors and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Riders and parents share their stories, and bike shops and businesses can sponsor a site or a season by name. We will look for partnerships with schools and city agencies that want safe streets and active kids.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- A crash or injury. Required helmets, trained instructors, closed practice areas, small groups, insurance and a written emergency plan.
- A bike breaks down. A repair stand and trained volunteers fix bikes between sessions, and a repair fund replaces worn parts.
- Bad weather. We schedule make-up sessions and keep an indoor option at partner sites.
- Low attendance. We adjust sites, times and outreach based on family feedback.
- A privacy problem. A written policy, secure systems and training for every staff member and volunteer.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow partner and donor support each year.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one neighborhood, a handful of riders and a small team, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from partner schools, agencies and sites.
- Your site agreements and your insurance certificate.
- Your consent, waiver and privacy policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Your program outline and schedule.
- Quotes for equipment and materials.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $61,000 in Year 1, growing to $40,500 in Year 5.
- City Transportation Department Partnership: $30,000 in Year 1, growing to $54,000 in Year 5.
- Cycling Industry Sponsors: $18,000 in Year 1, growing to $34,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donors: $8,000 in Year 1, growing to $24,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $46,000; certified Instructor (part-time) $8,700.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: bike Fleet Repair and Replacement $8,000; helmets, Safety Gear and Supplies $6,000; safe Streets Education Materials $4,000; transportation and Site Costs $5,000; instructor Certification and Training $3,000; administration and Insurance $8,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year.
- Equipment: $18,000 at the start, then $3,000 to $3,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $25,000, paid once from $54,000 in startup money.
- Young people served: about 100 in Year 1, growing to about 220 in Year 5. Sites: 3 in Year 1, growing to 6 by Year 5. Each session runs eight weeks, twice a week, for ninety minutes.
- About 4% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs