CYCLE Kids
CYCLE Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004 that delivers a research-based school bike education curriculum to elementary students in underserved communities across 20+ U.S. states, providing bikes, helmets, curriculum, and teacher training at no cost to partner schools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CYCLE Kids does
CYCLE Kids is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that delivers a school-based bike education curriculum to elementary school students in grades 3-5, primarily in underserved and racially diverse communities. The program combines cycling instruction, nutrition education, and social-emotional learning into a single research-based curriculum originally developed in collaboration with Boston University's Sargent College for Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and aligned with the 2024 National Physical Education Standards issued by SHAPE America. CYCLE Kids supplies partner schools with the full implementation package — age-appropriate bicycles (co-developed with Kent Bicycles since 2018), helmets, teacher curriculum and training, student materials, and ongoing instructional support — at no cost to schools.
The organization operates across more than 20 U.S. states including Massachusetts, New York, New Mexico, Arizona, Missouri, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, California, and Arkansas, reaching approximately 9,000-12,000 children annually (cumulative reach of 40,000+ since 2004). Programs are delivered through direct school-district partnerships, with active expansion pipelines in Brooklyn (15 schools across four districts, 29 additional schools in queue) and Albuquerque (10 schools reaching 1,200 students annually). Bike Build events, where students and volunteers assemble bicycles together, serve as the community engagement anchor of the rollout model.
CYCLE Kids is funded entirely through donations, grants, and charitable contributions — it charges schools nothing for program delivery. Revenue sources include individual donations, foundation grants (Rapha Foundation, Llewellyn Foundation, SBK Foundation, Catena Foundation, Virga Foundation, Weezie Foundation), corporate sponsorships (Kent Bicycles, Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative), state-level outdoor equity funds (New Mexico Outdoor Equity Fund, $75K in 2024), and recurring selection as an Official Charity of the Boston Marathon (2022-2026). The organization operates with 1-10 employees under founder and CEO Julianne Idlet, who was recognized as a 2022 Laureate of the United Nations Annual Special Award of World Bicycle Day.
CYCLE Kids firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CYCLE Kids
- Legal name
- CYCLE Kids, Inc.
- Website
- https://cyclekids.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CYCLE Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004 that delivers a research-based school bike education curriculum to elementary students in underserved communities across 20+ U.S. states, providing bikes, helmets, curriculum, and teacher training at no cost to partner schools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CYCLE Kids industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Nonprofit Educational Services
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bicycle Programs & Bike Share (Parking, Repair, Rentals) (EDALAKAE)
Keywords
Where CYCLE Kids is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CYCLE Kids business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: CYCLE Kids operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 20-1169399) funded primarily through tax-deductible donations from individuals and grants from foundations and corporations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
CYCLE Kids product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CYCLE Kids delivers a school-based bike education program for elementary students in grades 3–5 that combines cycling instruction, nutrition education, and social-emotional learning. The package is provided to partner schools at no cost and includes age-appropriate bicycles and helmets, a research-based curriculum aligned with 2024 National Physical Education Standards, teacher training, and ongoing implementation support. Programs are launched through hands-on community Bike Build events and sustained year-round in underserved public and charter schools.
Product overview
CYCLE Kids operates as a nonprofit organization offering a single unified educational program—the CYCLE Kids Program—that combines bike education with nutrition lessons for elementary school students. The core program includes hands-on Bike Build Events where students assemble their bicycles, comprehensive Teacher Curriculum and Training for PE educators, and provision of Bike Equipment and Safety Gear. The program is designed specifically for grades 3-5 in underserved communities and is research-based, meeting national core learning standards for physical education. CYCLE Kids provides the complete package including equipment, teaching curriculum, student materials, tools, training, and ongoing support to help schools implement the program indefinitely.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CYCLE Kids Program A comprehensive school-based bike education program for elementary students in grades 3–5 that combines cycling instruction, nutrition education, and social-emotional learning. The program is provided at no cost to partner public and charter elementary schools and includes bikes, helmets, curriculum, teacher training, and ongoing implementation support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Children who complete the program demonstrate increased confidence, improved classroom focus, and better academic performance
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CYCLE Kids
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CYCLE Kids technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
CYCLE Kids partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- Kent BicyclescoreKent Bicycles, founded in 1905, has been a key partner in helping CYCLE Kids grow from fewer than 2,000 children served to more than 10,000 nationwide. Partnered with Founder and CEO Julianne Idlet to design bikes specifically for school programs - lightweight, balanced, and built to 'grow' with young riders. Bikes designed in 2018 are still being used today.
- L39ION of Los AngelescoreL39ION of LA, founded by Justin and Corey Williams, promotes diversity and representation in cycling. The team helps open CYCLE Kids programs, including building bikes with students at Cooper Elementary in Tulsa. Committed to creating pathways for future professional riders.
- Wafels & DingesminorWafels & Dinges has partnered with CYCLE Kids for more than three years, shipping wafelinis from NYC for bike build events, making events more special for students and volunteers.
- Ogilvy HealthmajorHealthcare marketing agency Ogilvy Health provided pro bono support for the Brooklyn campaign, including Times Square billboard and digital marketing assets.
- Five Tier, Inc.minorFrank O'Brien of Five Tier, Inc. donated free media including Times Square billboard placement, digital billboards, connected TV, radio spots, and emails for the Brooklyn fundraising campaign.
- Boston MarathonmajorCYCLE Kids has been selected as an Official Charity of the Boston Marathon multiple years (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026). Runners fundraise to bring CYCLE Kids programs to their local schools.
- Silver StallionminorSilver Stallion, a non-profit bike and coffee shop in Gallup, NM, partnered with CYCLE Kids to organize bike exchanges and repairs for Zuni community students.
- Free Bikes 4 KidzminorFree Bikes 4 Kidz partnered with Silver Stallion to provide bikes to the Zuni community through CYCLE Kids programs.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CYCLE Kids competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Trips for Kids: Trips for Kids is a nonprofit that introduces at-risk youth to cycling through mountain biking programs and bike shop training. Comparable as a youth cycling nonprofit with a similar equity-focused mission, but uses mountain biking and Earn-a-Bike shop mechanics rather than in-school PE curriculum.
- World Bicycle Relief: World Bicycle Relief provides specially designed bicycles to students, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs in developing regions and is co-funded by the Rapha Foundation alongside CYCLE Kids. Comparable in mission (bicycles as a tool for education and empowerment) and donor network, but operates internationally and at much larger scale.
- Outride: Outride (formerly the Specialized Foundation) is a nonprofit supporting youth cycling programs focused on social, emotional, and physical health. Comparable as a youth-cycling nonprofit with school and community-based programming, supported by a major cycling industry sponsor (Specialized), creating overlap in donor pool and school-district relationships.
- Free Bikes 4 Kidz: Free Bikes 4 Kidz is a nonprofit that refurbishes and donates bicycles to children in need, and is listed as a CYCLE Kids partner. Directly comparable in mission (bikes for underserved kids) with a different delivery model (bike refurbishment and gifting rather than curriculum-based instruction), and is a current operational partner of CYCLE Kids.
- All Kids Bike: All Kids Bike (formerly the Strider Education Foundation) is a nonprofit that provides learn-to-ride bike programs, bikes, helmets, and curriculum to kindergarten PE classes in public schools. Directly comparable in mission, target customer (elementary schools), and free-to-school delivery model, making it the closest head-to-head competitor for district adoption decisions.
Emerging players
- Girls on the Run: Girls on the Run is a nonprofit offering school-based physical activity and life-skills curriculum for elementary-age girls. Comparable in delivery model (school-based curriculum with trained instructors at no cost) and target demographic (underserved elementary students), but with a gender-specific and running-based focus rather than cycling.
Broad incumbents
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a large youth development nonprofit serving millions of children with after-school programming. Comparable as a youth-development nonprofit competing for the same philanthropic dollars and school/community partnerships, though programming scope is far broader and not cycling-specific.
- PeopleForBikes: PeopleForBikes is the bicycle industry's national trade association and advocacy organization promoting cycling at all levels. Comparable as a cycling-advocacy stakeholder with overlapping policy and funding ecosystem interests, but operates as an industry body rather than a direct program provider.
- Safe Routes to School National Partnership: Safe Routes to School is a national movement and policy advocacy organization promoting walking and biking to school. Comparable as an institution promoting youth active transportation and school-based biking, but focused on infrastructure and policy rather than curriculum delivery, making it an ecosystem partner and indirect competitor for school district attention.
Others
- SHAPE America: SHAPE America is the national professional organization for health and physical education that sets national PE standards and endorsed CYCLE Kids' curriculum alignment. Comparable as an ecosystem stakeholder validating and promoting the CYCLE Kids curriculum, but is a membership body rather than a competing program provider.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CYCLE Kids social profiles
Digital presenceCYCLE Kids financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CYCLE Kids leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
CYCLE Kids funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CYCLE Kids M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CYCLE Kids
What does CYCLE Kids do?
CYCLE Kids delivers a school-based bike education program for elementary students in grades 3–5 that combines cycling instruction, nutrition education, and social-emotional learning. The package is provided to partner schools at no cost and includes age-appropriate bicycles and helmets, a research-based curriculum aligned with 2024 National Physical Education Standards, teacher training, and ongoing implementation support. Programs are launched through hands-on community Bike Build events and sustained year-round in underserved public and charter schools.
Is CYCLE Kids a public or private company?
CYCLE Kids is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CYCLE Kids founded?
CYCLE Kids was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CYCLE Kids based?
CYCLE Kids is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does CYCLE Kids make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Grants.
Who are CYCLE Kids's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Trips for Kids, World Bicycle Relief, Outride, Free Bikes 4 Kidz and All Kids Bike. Girls on the Run is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Boys & Girls Clubs of America, PeopleForBikes and Safe Routes to School National Partnership. SHAPE America is listed as an others.
Does CYCLE Kids have an API?
No public API is recorded for CYCLE Kids.
What industry is CYCLE Kids in?
CYCLE Kids's product category is Youth Nonprofit Educational Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAKAE, Bicycle Programs & Bike Share (Parking, Repair, Rentals). Its NAICS code is 611620.