CLIMATE RIDE

The Climate Ride staff handles hundreds of inquiries from potential beneficiaries and manages a process to vet and approve the organizations that riders wish to support. We assist organizations in making Climate Ride a useful and meaningful part of their development plans. We process tens of thousands of donations and handle every aspect of the rides so that these organizations can benefit without any risk or cost - so they can focus on achieving their missions. We bring new supporters to environmental efforts and publicize the work of our beneficiary partners.

During Climate Ride events, expert speakers educate and inspire Climate Riders about sustainability, climate, the green economy, and energy issues. Our riders and the communities we pass through learn that our government, businesses, and each individual American will benefit from a cleaner, healthier energy system. This is a unique event — a fundraiser and green conference on wheels.
Our speaker list includes more than 100 bright minds working on sustainability.

For events ending in Washington DC, the Climate Ride staff schedules hundreds of appointments for riders to meet in person with their senators and representatives when they arrive by bike in Washington DC at the end of Climate Ride. We've trained and scheduled more than 600 riders to meet with Congress. We're helping to create a grassroots force of 'people-powered' advocates.

Climate Ride is committed to building an inclusive environmental movement, led by people with varied backgrounds and perspectives. Since 2016, Climate Ride has awarded Community Leader Scholarships to a diverse group of advocates across the nation. Their participation in our charitable events is key to building intergenerational unity and strength. Community leaders work on climate change, clean energy, environmental justice, and transportation issues. Our scholarships recognize individual achievements in these areas, as well as future leadership potential. With these scholarships, we are proud to honor and support young people on their path to transformational leadership. Scholarships are prioritized for people of color, youth activists, and applicants from underserved communities.

Climate Ride partners with eligible community-based organizations in order to make the scholarship program a success.

The environment is already a grossly underfunded sector in American philanthropy (in 2019, Americans gave $449 billion and just 3% of that charitable giving supported the environment/animal sector). Organizations led by or working to support people of color and disadvantaged communities are the least funded in this sector despite being at forefront of change. Science has shown that the negative consequences of climate change will be borne disproportionately by people of color. Yet we don’t need science to understand that those communities have been marginalized, penalized, and brutalized by hundreds of years of systemic racism. We need only listen to our hearts to know this injustice is deeply wrong and merits urgent attention.

In 2021, Climate Ride created an action grants program to support organizations that are fighting systemic racism, and making progress on environmental and social justice.