BikeWalkKC

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.

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.

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.

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.