Did you know? Biking is not only a sustainable transportation option for your wallet, but it supports physical and mental health and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
At New Belgium, we don’t just like bikes, we love them AND the people who ride them. Bikes have been central to our story from the very beginning when our co-founder Jeff Lebesch set off to bike around Belgium in the late 1980s. To this day, after one year of employment, New Belgium coworkers are gifted a custom New Belgium bike, simply because we believe access to bicycles is an important way to improve wellbeing for our coworkers and our communities.
One of the most central parts of Human-Powered Business is a scalable commitment to philanthropy – one that grows as the company grows, and ensures the business gives back in good years, and the ones that aren’t so good. New Belgium donates $1 for every barrel of beer we sell – a commitment that’s totaled more than $30 million in funding over 31 years for nonprofits working on the front lines to solve some of our most urgent challenges.
PAYING IT FORWARD - GIVING BACK TO BIKES
Supporting access to bicycles and bicycle services doesn’t just support people who like riding for fun or exercise – it also supports equity in transportation with many people not able to drive, afford a car, lack skills to maintain their own bicycle maintenance, and more.
That’s why New Belgium has given over $9 million dollars to bicycle non-profits since the late 1990s that support bicycle access, ridership, and advocacy. How do we choose who we support? Well, it’s hard. There are so many amazing groups doing work across the nation related to bikes. We prioritize:
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Projects that break down barriers and foster support for riders
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Projects that focus on increasing daily ridership
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Projects that promote bicycle accessibility in communities facing historical and systemic inequities
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Funding for grassroots level organizations rooted in the communities they serve
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Funding for organizations with senior staff and/or board leadership positions held by individuals from the communities the organization serves
If you’re interested in getting involved with local bicycle or biking organizations in your area, here’s a great place to start.
Or you can visit our bicycle grants page to learn more about the groups we support!
