This year, the Better Bike Share Partnership and the City of Philadelphia were able to offer 8 incredible organizations small funding awards for their summer programming. These funds supported unique activities benefiting Philadelphia’s youth, from cancer survivors to youth basketball players, bike rides along the Schuylkill, to a community event in South Philadelphia.

Keep reading to meet six of our Better Bikeshare Partnership (BBSP) mini-grant awardees and learn more about their summer programming, most of which involved Indego bike share!

Valley Youth House, Achieving Independence Center

The Achieving Independence Center (AIC) is a one-stop Independent Living Skills provider located in North Philly, serving young people ages 14 to 23 years old who have had some history in Philadelphia’s foster care system. The AIC model for independent living programs has been replicated in other states and counties. AIC youth were able to share space, food, enjoy a community picnic, and have an energizing and positive time riding bikes and being in nature at FDR Park.

Team OverTime Cancer Who?

Team OverTime (TOT) is a nonprofit organization that supports people during and after their cancer diagnosis. TOT is committed to spreading cancer awareness in the Philadelphia area through events and community outreach. The BBSP mini-grant awarded to TOT this year was able to support their “Rock the Bell” event in honor of beating cancer, where 20 survivors were able to ring the bell. They plan on making this a monthly event moving forward, for an even bigger impact.

All in the Family CDC

All in the Family CDC aims to enrich the quality of life for residents within North Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion community by providing programming and offering outlets for personal development. All in the Family CDC used their BBSP mini-grant to support a Book Bag Drive and Philly vs. Baltimore Basketball Tournament event at the Cecil B. Moore Recreation Center. The youth at this event took home Indego promotional items to go with their new book bags and learned about participating in future cycling educational safety and skill-building classes with Indego bike share.

Collective Climb

Collective Climb is a black feminist organization empowering BIPOC teenagers in West Philadelphia through three programs: the Restorative Community Project, a Youth Advisory Board, and Collective Kickbacks. Collective Climb was able to use their BBSP mini-grant award to support a visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in addition to a bike ride along the Schuylkill River with Indego.

Walls for Justice

Walls for Justice is a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower and enhance the platform of social movements, communities, people of color, and all other marginalized groups through murals, beautification projects, demonstrations, and other artistic mediums. Walls for Justice was able to use the funding for the BBSP mini-grant to support a cycling-inspired artist workshop.

Young Chances Foundation

Young Chances Foundation is a South Philadelphia-based nonprofit created to provide children with the opportunity to have fun, build leadership skills, and receive resources to pursue higher education. To accomplish its mission, the Foundation has developed several programs with local public schools and opened its own Community Engagement Center where children receive year-round educational-recreational programming.

The City of Philadelphia, Indego Bike Share, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, and the Better Bike Share Partnership would like to thank these organizations for their creativity and collaboration. We look forward to supporting more organizations in the future with our BBSP mini-grants. The next cycle of applications is now open, so please click the button below to learn more and apply!