Alliance > Media center > Press Releases

Planet Bike Scholarships to Boost Grassroots Leadership

Posted: 07/29/2009

Planet Bike has just announced it is providing up to $25,000 in scholarships and travel stipends for grassroots advocacy leaders to attend Alliance for Biking & Walking trainings this year. The scholarships will be used to cover training registrations and provide modest travel stipends to up to 20 advocacy leaders to attend the Alliance’s Membership Development Training and a Winning Campaigns Training.

The support is directed at start-up organizations that were finalists but were not awarded grants in the first round of the Alliance’s Advocacy Advance Grants selection process.  The organizations that will benefit from this support include the Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance, Trips for Kids Metro DC, Tulsa Hub Syndicate, Walk-Bike Memphis, Positive Spin, Inc. (WV), New Orleans Metro Bicycle Coalition, BikeSage, California Bicycle Coalition, and Twin Cities Streets for People.

Each of these groups is a new or growing advocacy organization in need of capacity-building assistance to take their work to the next level. Their active projects include advocating for the implementation of a statewide complete streets policy, advocating for the inclusion of bike infrastructure in a major community reconstruction project, and advocating for a Better Bicycling Bill in the state legislature. 

According to Jeff Miller, President of the Alliance, “The Planet Bike scholarships are critical to the growth and development of these grassroots biking and walking organizations.  Most accomplishment made by bicycle advocates happen on the local level, so it is imperative that we do what we can to encourage and advance these young, energetic groups.”

The scholarship recipients will attend the Alliance’s Membership Development Training on September 17-19th in San Francisco, CA. Participants will learn best practices and techniques to increase their organizational membership.

The Winning Campaign Trainings occurring in the fall will take advocacy leaders through the steps of choosing, planning, and executing campaigns to win improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians. Participants leave with a complete campaign blueprint to help them implement a successful campaign specific to their communities. 

According to Lisa Peterson Bender, scholarship recipient and Executive Director
Of Twin Cities Streets for People , “As a new organization, we have a lot of energy and ideas about how to improve local conditions for biking and walking.  This training will be invaluable to focus our efforts and build a strong, sustainable organization that can win victories for more people-centered streets.”

About the Alliance:
Alliance for Biking and Walking is the North American coalition of 140 grassroots biking and walking advocacy organization.  The Alliance works to strengthen state and local organizations through grants, training, and sharing best practices and resources.

About Planet Bike:
Planet Bike designs high quality bicycle accessories that make it easier and safer for people to ride their bikes.  Since its inception in 1996, Planet Bike has believed that the bicycle can improve our environment and our quality of life.  Therefore, each year it has donated at least 25% of profits to causes that promote and facilitate the use of bicycles.

###