Community Cycles of California Awarded $300,000 Grant from Foundation for California Community Colleges in a Further Boost for Their Workforce Development Program

San Jose, California. – Community Cycles of California (CCofCA) has been awarded a $300,000 grant from The Foundation for California Community Colleges (FoundationCCC), in partnership with the California Workforce Development Board, to provide initial funding for their Bicycle Mechanic and Retail Training Program (BMRT), a workforce development program that teaches skills to lift trainees into living-wage jobs.

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The $300,000 grant is to provide six months of implementation of the BMRT program, which will pay a stipend for trainees as they build skills in the classroom. The grant from FoundationCCC comes on the heels of the $20,000 grant awarded from the Cupertino Rotary last month to help provide classroom infrastructure.

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CCofCA’s Bicycle Mechanic and Retail Training Program was first piloted by CCofCA in 2020 with support from groups within the Santa Clara County Workforce Development Department and the Veterans Administration. 

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"Building and compounding our community impact has been our goal since Community Cycles of California was founded seven years ago," said Christine Scholberg, Board President of Community Cycles of California. "This is a major step forward and this grant will make a definitive and intentional impact for those who need it the most. We thank all of our supporters and friends who have believed in our mission, helped us in the past, and are pitching in to build a better future in our region."

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“What a wonderful opportunity for Community Cycles to fully demonstrate their innovative program,”  said Cindy Chavez, Santa Clara County Supervisor, District 2. “With this grant, our more marginalized residents will work toward economic independence while giving back to their community by learning in the environment of a social enterprise. Community Cycles’ dedication to this program and their perseverance in obtaining funds is inspiring and should provide encouragement for us all.”

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“This is a huge win for our residents, our planet, and Community Cycles of California,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. “Workforce development programs like this help expand entrepreneurship and teach San Joseans the skills they need to obtain living wage jobs that create upward mobility.”

 

“We’re happy to see the momentum of support continue around Community Cycles of California,” said Alysa Sakkas, President, Rotary Club of Cupertino. “Their mission to bring relevant vocational training is extraordinarily valuable to our region. We’re looking forward to seeing more partners join Community Cycles in this important work.”  

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Chad Bojorquez, Chief Program Officer for Destination: Home, a longtime partner and leading Santa Clara County non-profit that brings together public and private entities to solve the area’s challenges around homelessness, said “Destination: Home is proud to partner with Community Cycles of California to introduce students into their Bicycle Mechanic and Retail Training Program. Community Cycles provides a learning environment that can increase self-sufficiency and lead to living-wage employment is among the many tools we have to reduce and prevent homelessness.”

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About Community Cycles of California

CCoCA’s paid Small Business Operations Training Program, which teaches transferable general business skills, bike mechanics and retail management skills to qualify trainees for living-wage jobs, was piloted in 2020 with support from groups at the Santa Clara County workforce development department and Veteran Association. Since its establishment in 2017, CCoCA has provided 3,815 free bicycle repairs, logged 3,126 Earn-A-Bike volunteer hours in the community, and granted 1,758 bicycles. CCoCA is based in San Jose and collaborates with numerous Bay Area nonprofits to provide mobile repair clinics, access to repair tools at affordable housing sites, and provide bikes and safety packages to help children in low-income households and adults who rely on bicycles as their primary means of transport. For more information, visit communitycyclesca.org.