From KJ: Reporting was due for the REI Cooperative Action Fund grantees this month. We are a grantee for 2026-2027 in the Connecting People Outside category, eligible for a total of $20,000 split over two years. There were some answers to a couple of questions that I wanted to share with a broader audience, to let you all see some of our guiding principles.
How is your organization currently defining and measuring success?
Bike Fun has been growing steadily in the past few years. We’ve taken care to determine our definition and measurement of success. We do not believe in “numbers for numbers’ sake” (e.g. doing a helmet safety demonstration for 300 students without measurable follow up to know if there’s retention, understanding, etc), and focus instead on the following:
- Engagement and participation in classes: Students are following instructor direction; students have progressed in skill development during the class.
- Instructor satisfaction for classes and lessons: Instructors are able to impart bicycle skill instruction at a developmentally appropriate level.
- Availability of instruction for classes: Small group classes for youth learn to ride students are scheduled monthly, with a focus on 5 & 6, 7 & 8, and 9 & 10. All Ages Learn to Ride classes are scheduled monthly – these are free and open to the public.
- Follow up surveys and communications: Bike Fun sends emails to every registrant for every class after each class with a summary of what they learned, what next steps are, and a request for feedback/review. We also send an annual survey with more in-depth follow up questions around retention, continued practice and skill development to parents/caregivers of our youth learn to ride students.
Briefly, how were grant funds spent and how does unrestricted funding impact your organization?
Grant funds were used primarily for recurring operational expenses like rent, physical plant needs, and insurance. This allowed Bike Fun to be able to say YES to both more unpaid collaborative opportunities and unpaid/unsponsored classes (like most of our All Ages Learn to Ride series). We also allocated a certain amount of funding for each instructor to use to create their own special event, class, or ride outside of “regular” Bike Fun programming.
Bike Fun operates at many intersections: community, health, transportation, physical activity, mobility, science, youth, adult, all abilities (to the best of our ability). We’re happy to be an REI Cooperative Action Fund grantee and look forward to the second year of our grant!