Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We believe that our community is in desperate need of a transportation transformation. Today, Missouri and Kansas rank among the most overweight and obese states in America—20th and 13th, respectively—with an average 65 percent of the population considered an unhealthy weight. For the past several decades, these numbers have been increasing at frightening rates, especially among children. In fact, within the Kansas City metro area, one in three children are considered overweight or obese. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, Type II diabetes and certain types of cancer, which are among some of the leading causes of preventable death. Our region consistently ranks near the top of these public health crises as well as among the most automobile-dependent populations in the country.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Safe Routes to School
BikeWalkKC offers training, tools, programs, resources, and technical assistance to help schools design a Safe Routes to School program or to improve the infrastructure around your school. We offer several programs to bring instruction to your students, train your teachers, and encourage students and families to walk and bike to school. http://bikewalkkc.org/saferoutes
Advocacy and Public Policy
Our advocacy programs work with local cities on public policies and funding that results in a built environment that encourages active living with sidewalks, trails, crosswalks, bike lanes, and more. Complete Streets policies make actively living safe and comfortable by ensuring the built environment design for people of all ages and abilities. Vision Zero policies aim to prevent all serious and fatal traffic crashes by treating them like the public health crisis they are.
RideKC Bike
Owned and operated by BikeWalkKC, RideKC Bike provides a unique integration of public transit and shared use mobility. Bike share plus transit provides residents and visitors with healthy, sustainable options for getting around Kansas City.
Community Planning
We provide a a wide range of urban planning, technical assistance, education, public policy, programming, and other services. We partner with municipalities, counties, school districts, and other agencies across the Kansas City metro area design a built environment that is safe and accessible.
Transportation Equity
Throughout all our programs we work to increase mobility and safety for the most vulnerable in our community. Minorities have higher rates of traffic injuries and fatalities, and are often in communities with disparities in access to automobiles and effective transportation options. Our transportation equity program integrates minority, low income, homeless, and formerly incarcerated people into our education, policy, community planning, and shared use mobility programs.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
League of American Bicyclists 2019
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of advocacy contacts with government leaders
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Advocacy and Public Policy
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of communications from constituents to elected officials at the local, state, or federal level; as recorded in our advocacy software platform.
Number of children served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Safe Routes to School
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of youth participating in education programs.
Total number of classes offered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Safe Routes to School
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Established in 2010, BikeWalkKC is the leader for improving walking and bicycling in greater Kansas City. As a member-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, BikeWalkKC has a mission to redefine our streets and public spaces as places for people to build a culture of active living. We support regional partners and clients in creating a community that is barrier-free, has complete biking and walking access, and has a connected culture of active transportation and active lifestyles. Today, Missouri ranks as the 20th most overweight and obese states in America, with an average 65 percent of the population considered an unhealthy weight. For the past several decades, these numbers have been increasing at frightening rates, especially among children. Walking and bicycling are simple solutions to complex problems of health, economy, opportunity, transportation, and sustainability.
BikeWalkKC believes that strategic investment in planning, infrastructure, public policy, education, and community building will lead to more people walking and biking for transportation, fitness, and recreation. This will result in communities that are healthier, better connected, more economically competitive, have more opportunities for everyone, and are more sustainable and resilient.
Our goals for the next 3-5 years are to:
* Educate the people of Kansas City to the benefits of an active and connected lifestyle.
* Be an ally to decision makers and leaders that share our vision and an advocate for those that have yet to seek a balanced and better transportation future.Make apparent and address the isolation and the diminished personal freedoms created by auto centric bias.Support and lead efforts to preserve and rebuild safe neighborhoods and streets.
* Plan, promote, and support events that bring our citizens together in activities that increase health, sustainability, and socialization.Bring bike sharing to more neighborhoods and more constituencies.
* Sustain and grow the work of the Organization.
Long-term success will be reflected by:
* More people biking and walking in the KC metro
* Improved access to jobs, schools, and opportunities
* A more economically competitive workforce
* Improved air quality, and
* A culture of health and active living.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1. RECOVERY: Make our streets the path to recovery
Active transportation and public spaces will be central to personal mobility, prosperity, and community well-being in the pandemic recovery and post-pandemic world.
2. CLIMATE: Center the transportation system in the region’s climate protection and adaptation strategy
Active transportation is critical for addressing the climate crisis and needed adaptations.
3. COMMUNITY: Build partnerships and community capacity
Amplify and diversify our work by building partnerships in the community, increasing grassroots capacity, and supporting the development of an ecosystem of organizations.
4. SYSTEMS: Focus on upstream systems change
Continue to focus on strategic, upstream interventions that improve the built environment and the social determinants of health.
5. DEI: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Continue improving DEI for our governance, workplace, programs and services, and business practices. Invest in the capacity of the organization.
6. CAPACITY: Build the capacity of the organization to achieve our mission
Ensure the organization’s finances, strategy, and culture are able to thrive through the pandemic, the recovery, and into the future.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
BikeWalkKC is leading a transportation transformation in the Kansas City community to facilitate more walkable, bikeable communities. BikeWalkKC’s team of professionals has extensive experience at the local, state, and national levels. We are recognized as award-winning leaders for bicycle and pedestrian issues and work to raise the bar of professionalism in greater Kansas City. Our educational, professional, development, and consulting services empower citizens, communities, and professionals to achieve excellence in advocating, planning, and engineering more walkable and bikeable places. BikeWalkKC provides a wide range of planning, technical assistance, advocacy, education, programming, and other services, impacting thousands of children and adults each year. We work in collaboration with city and county governments, Kansas City metropolitan area school districts, national and regional bike/pedestrian advocacy organizations, local businesses and nonprofits, private foundations, and individuals to implement programs and services to benefit the Kansas City community.
BikeWalkKC's budget is comprised of a diverse mix of federal, state, city, local, corporate, philanthropic, and individual contributions. We are continuing to build a diverse coalition of funders to support our work. Our board is actively engaged in connecting us to the funding community, as are many of our programming partners. Through funder meetings, direct mail, participation in civic engagement events, and an increased frequency of grant requests, we are growing the visibility of BikeWalkKC’s impact in the region. A solid base of funding support from the Missouri Department of Transportation for our youth education programs through 2021 provides leverage and financial sustainability for our programs, making BikeWalkKC a solid investment for funders. Finally, we are seeing more funders at the local and national level interested in supporting programs that address the social determinants of health, including active living interventions like those of BikeWalkKC.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
BikeWalkKC has accomplished much in its first decade: we have become a nationally recognized leader in helping communities get more kids walking and biking to school, and teaching riding skills and confidence to adults. Our staff, members, and volunteers write hundreds of letters and attend dozens of public meetings each year, and that time and energy are paying big dividends with new bike lanes, trails, crosswalks, and more. We are seeing record growth in our bike sharing program, including investments by developers, education and civic organizations, and municipalities interested in bringing cycling to all parts of the region. Much work remains to be done, of course. The Kansas City region lags far behind the national averages in biking and walking. Kansas and Missouri have high rates of obesity and preventable diseases. The process for implementing changes to the built environment is sometimes slow and tedious, or even impossible, to improve public safety and increase the region's economic vitality. A lack of understanding by the funding community about our impact and the need for our work remains a challenge. Without sufficient resources, we are unable to meet the growing demand for our programming. We will continue to work to build a ongoing and diverse funding streams of corporate sponsors, donors, and events to support our robust programming and advocacy efforts.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Case management notes, Community meetings/Town halls, Suggestion box/email,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
BikeWalkKC
Board of directorsas of 08/12/2022
Ashley Hand
Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS
Term: 2022 - 2022
Eric Rogers
BikeWalkKC
John Jespersen
Metcalf Partners
Malenda Shahane
UMB Financial
Jake Jacobson
Native Digital
Ashley Hand
Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS
Robin Shook
Children's Mercy Hospital
Sarah Hanson
Olathe School District
Alissa Zerr
Centene Insurance
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/24/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.