Support Bikes for Kids Wisconsin

Bikes for Kids Wisconsin is powered by our love of cycling, our community, and our planet. We increase the use of bicycle-based transportation for everyone through access, low-cost repairs, and education.

We’re a community making bicycling sustainable, equitable, and affordable for everyday transportation; where human-powered transportation is prioritized and betters all residents’ lives physically, emotionally, and economically.

Our programs include:

• Annual Bike Giveaway where we give away 2,000 bikes to those most in need. These bikes are being provided to people who would otherwise never have the chance to own a bicycle. We've learned that if a kid doesn't own a bike, they'll likely never have an interest in owning a bike as a teen or adult. So it's paramount that we give bikes to the littlest of kids. We do give bikes to ALL people however because transportation barriers are prominent when it comes to getting to school, work, participating in school activities, and accessing services.

• Bike Mechanics Youth Education is a fall class for middle school students in partnership with Madison Metropolitan School District. Students come to our bike center and find a box of bike parts and they learn how to build a bike out of a box.

• Recycling and reuse program is a community service we offer to keep bikes out of landfills and to ensure that they are being recycled properly. Many bikes that still have life in them are thrown into dumpsters taking up valuable space in the landfill. Every bike we receive is responsibly reused, recycled, or provides us with valuable parts so we can refurbish other bikes.

• Used Bike Sales and Service is how we support those with less disposable income so they can still purchase a high-quality bike. Sales are open to the public as a way to support our work. Our repair services are low-cost and we often teach our bike recipients how to do basic maintenance so they can keep their bikes rolling safely and efficiently.

Bike donations can be dropped off year-round. While we receive bikes free of charge, they are not free for us to giveaway. Each bike must be fully refurbished and serviced by professional mechanics so they are safe to ride.

If you're wondering how much to donate, the cost for us to give away the full bicycle package to one individual is $135. The cost for us to give away 2,000 bikes is $270,000.

Thank you for supporting our efforts!