Organizations and Nonprofits to Donate to During Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month, which makes it a great time to find a women-focused cycling organization to donate to—and hopefully, one you can contribute to on a regular basis.

With thousands of women worldwide working hard to increase the number of women and girls on bikes, there are so many women’s cycling charities to choose from. But running these organizations is not an easy job. As one cyclist noted, running a women-focused cycling nonprofit is challenging work that feels like an uphill battle at the best of times. But these groups are all doing amazing things in their communities and are worthy of our attention and contributions.

Here, we share our non-exhaustive list of a few great women’s cycling nonprofits and organizations to donate to this month and every month. This list is primarily focused on US-based women’s cycling. If we’ve missed an organization you love, share it below in the comments!

For getting girls on bikes

NICA GRiT

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is dedicated to getting more kids on mountain bikes, and the GRiT (Girls Riding Together) program is helping grow the number of girls in the sport. Currently, just 20 percent of NICA cyclists are girls, and the GRiT programs around the country aim to raise that number.

GRiT programs range from girls-only rides and additional instruction to full-blown sleep-away GRiT camps in the summer that bring girls from different states together to shred. While some girls go on to be ultra-racing focused (World Champ Kate Courtney came up through NICA’s programming), many just continue riding for fun after graduation.

• While you can’t donate directly to GRiT, you can earmark your NICA donation as GRiT-specific, or search if your state’s NICA chapter has a GRiT program in place and donate directly there.

Little Bellas

Little Bellas is a mountain bike organization founded by Olympian Lea Davison and her sister Sabra Davison, along with Angela Irvine. What started as a small program in Vermont in 2007 has grown over the last 15 years and is now a nationwide program that brings girls and women on mountain bikes together in playful events that encourage lifelong participation in cycling. It also focuses on a healthy lifestyle, mentorship, and most importantly, fun.

• Donate directly to the organization, or you can start a chapter or become a mentor.

For boosting diversity in women’s cycling

The Black Girls Do Bike "Ride Day" duffle bag and water bottles.

Black Girls Do Bike

Black Girls Do Bike (BGDB) was founded in 2013 by Monica Garrison to highlight the fact that Black women do, in fact, ride bikes—something that has been ignored in popular cycling culture for far too long. BGDB works to introduce the joy of cycling to all women, especially women and girls of color. This year, BGDB is hosting a national summit in Pennsylvania in August, in addition to hosting smaller events in the more than 100 cities that have BGDB chapters.

• Support BGDB with a donation, buying their gear, or purchasing advertising rights to their flag.

Radical Adventure Riders

Founded in 2017, Radical Adventure Riders (RAR)—who you may have known by their original monicker, WTF Bikexplorers—is on a mission to center gender inclusivity and racial equity in cycling and the outdoors. RAR provides education, connection, resources, and support for the community and industry. In addition to programming summits, gravel racing, scholarships, and a podcast and online magazine, the crew behind the program at RAR is scattered throughout North America, creating change on local levels within their communities.

• You can donate directly to the nonprofit.

For pro women in cycling

Iris Slappendel, the co-founder and executive director of the Cycling Alliance, leads the peloton during the Aviva Women’s Tour of Britain in 2015.

The Cyclist’s Alliance

The Cyclist’s Alliance was created to bring a form of collective bargaining to the women’s pro peloton, a desperately needed service. Since most pro women cyclists barely make enough cash to pay for their housing and food throughout the year, paying for an agent or lawyer to help with contracts is often impossible. Enter the Cyclists’ Alliance, which strives to provide support to those women as they negotiate for better pay, fight for equality in sport, and deal with issues like discrimination, harassment, and mistreatment.

• If you’re a UCI-registered rider, you can become a member. And if you’re not, become a supporter or ride sponsor.

The Homestretch Foundation

Created by champion for women’s cycling and author Kathryn Bertine, The Homestretch Foundation, based in Tucson, Arizona, is a nonprofit that provides free temporary housing and support for women endurance athletes (primarily cyclists with the occasional triathlete in the mix!) who are earning near or below the poverty line but have big dreams for their place in the sport. The housing affords athletes the ability to live and train in one of the biggest cycling hotspots in the country. Since its inception, dozens of women from all over the world have been able to further their careers thanks to the ability to train there.

• Donate directly to the nonprofit or if you’re a pro or elite cyclist, fill out an application.

Team TWENTY24

You may know Team TWENTY24 as Team TWENTY12, TWENTY16, or TWENTY20. That’s because the team changes its name every four years to reflect the next Olympic cycle. As a nonprofit that dates back to 2005, TWENTY24’s mission is to help young women realize their Olympic dreams while also engaging ambassadors for cycling within their communities. And this team’s reach is broad: In November, they announced the addition of Afghan cyclist Rukhsar Habibzai as she fled from Afghanistan as the Taliban’s hold gripped the country.

• Donate to the organization via PayPal, Venmo, or credit card.

For When You Want a Ride to Go with Your Donation

A climb on The Last Best Ride course in 2021.

The Last Best Ride

Let’s be honest: Sometimes, it’s nice to do two things at once. And that means donating to a worthy cause while also registering for a cool event. In Whitefish, Montana, race organizer Jess Cerra has created a scholarship funded by her gravel event, The Last Best Ride. Since founding the race, the organization has given more than $20,000 in scholarship dollars to local young women looking for higher education, thanks to the Barbara Mansfield Champion Scholar Award (named after Cerra’s high school guidance counselor). If The Last Best Ride doesn’t fit into your travel plans, see what’s available locally, or even consider talking to local race directors about adopting a similar initiative at their races!

• Sign up for the race, and 20 percent of your entry cost is donated to the scholarship (and you can donate more on top of that).

Look closer to home

If you prefer a closer-to-home approach to donations, check what’s available around you. There are local NICA chapters with GRiT groups in many states, and you can often donate directly to those programs. You may also find cool new initiatives, like the Tahoe Mountain Bike Girls. There are also great local women’s groups, like Women on Wheels in Boston, Shifting Gears in Bellingham, Washington, and the Bay Area’s Velo Girls (among many others!) that may not get much nationwide attention, but are doing great things close to home. Simply search for women’s or girls’ cycling groups in your area, and you may be amazed at what comes up!