Cycle Access Fund FAQs - Strand 3: Recycle
Please ensure you have read the Cycle Access Fund General FAQs as information is not repeated here.
Use the questions below to find out who can apply, how the funding works, and what’s expected from applicants and bike recipients under this strand.
- What is the Cycle Access Fund – Strand 3: Recycle?
- How does the funding work?
- How do we report on the recycled bikes that are handed over?
- Who is eligible for a funded recycled bike?
- What is required from the recipients of funded recycled bikes?
1. What is the Cycle Access Fund – Strand 3: Recycle?
The Cycle Access Fund – Strand 3: Recycle is aimed at helping people that are financially struggling to get a bike and start, or continue, cycling. Successful grant recipients will be funded to give recycled bikes to people who are unable to afford the cost of a bike. These bikes should be for everyday journeys but can also be used for leisure and cycling for health.
2. How does the funding work?
You may apply for funding of up to a maximum of £2000 per application. The funds will be used to deliver free recycled bikes to your selected participants. We will fund up to £250 per bike.
When you have spent and reported on 75% of that funding you will be able to apply for further funding if available. Further funding is not guaranteed.
3. How do we report on the recycled bikes that are handed over?
We require you to complete a monitoring form for each recycled bike that you hand over to someone in your community; this form will ask for details of the bike, including the work that you’ve done to get the bike ready to sell and justification for the cost.
It is important that these forms are returned as soon as possible and must be provided within five working days of each handover at the latest. This will allow us to track how you are spending your funding and to start sending out surveys to monitor the bikes’ use with each new owner.
We will send you a fortnightly report of your grant spend and check in with you each month to see how many bikes have been allocated.
4. Who is eligible for a funded recycled bike?
You know your community best and we trust your professional judgement of their needs. This scheme does not use means testing and people do not need to provide any proof of income to receive a funded recycled bike.
Successful grant applicants will be able to demonstrate in their applications that they have thought about this; we have found that the most successful bike recycling partners either already support people who are struggling financially or have good links in their communities with organisations who support people who are struggling financially.
If you have pre-existing relationships with community organisations that you know support people that are financially struggling that can be a good way of ensuring that cycles reach the people who really need them.
To support your application here are some example scenarios:
- Someone comes in for a repair on a poor-quality bike and tells you that they cannot afford the costs of the repairs. The CAF funding can be used to swap out their old bike and replace with a better recycled one.
- Someone is trying to replace a stolen bike but having to buy a poorer quality replacement because they don’t have the money available for a better quality recycled bike.
- Someone comes in looking for a commuter bike but is shopping at the lowest price point.
- Someone who has recently attended some training, intends to cycle for transport but doesn’t have their own bike.
- Someone who has attended led rides with your project but doesn’t have their own bike.
This list is not exhaustive, just a few suggestions to get you thinking about people that you might work with.
Please get in touch with the Cycle Access Fund Team at [email protected] if you would like to discuss this further and we may be able to connect you with suitable community organisations in your area.
5. What is required from the recipients of funded recycled bikes?
We require you, as the delivery partner, to provide us with email addresses and postcodes for everyone who uses the cycles bought through this fund.
The recipient of a funded recycled bike will be emailed a survey.
