116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa City Bike Library aims to grow youth programming, energy efficiency with fundraising campaign
Nonprofit looking to raise $1 million by the end of February 2026
May. 28, 2025 5:30 am, Updated: May. 28, 2025 9:45 am
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IOWA CITY — For more than 20 years, the Iowa City Bike Library has served cyclists in Iowa City, offering bike repair education, community programming, bike rental programs and group rides.
Now, the Bike Library is looking to expand youth programming, plan for a sustainable financial future, invest in energy efficiency upgrades, all while continuing the nonprofit’s core mission of getting more people on bikes.
The Bike Library receives about 2,000 donated bikes each year, with the majority of the donations coming between April and June. About half them are refurbished and can be resold. The other half are salvaged for parts or sent to partner organizations around the world.
The Bike Library also has bike mechanics that can help with various bike repairs. The only catch is that community members are required to fix the bike themselves, using the free work benches, tools and instruction from Bike Library mechanics.
“Sometimes that's a little confusing at first for people, but then once they're doing it, it's super empowering, because a lot of what people come in for are super simple fixes, but you have to demystify the bike a little bit,” said Dustin Eubanks, the Bike Library’s youth bike coordinator. “So we're huge on the education component, it's another thing that kind of sets us apart.”
Any given week, the Bike Library has about 30 to 50 volunteers across all events and programming. Some of those programs include:
- Women/Trans/Femme night, which provides space for women, trans, femme and gender-nonconforming people to learn bike repair;
- Cycling Without Age, which provides cycling opportunities for those who are not able to bike independently; and
- Open bench hours.
At the moment, around 60 percent of the Bike Library’s $300,000 operating budget comes directly from bike sales and rentals. The rest comes from a mix of grants and donations, including funding from the City of Iowa City and the Johnson County Board of Supervisors.
Fundraising campaign efforts
The Bike Library is in the middle of a $1 million capital campaign that plans to set the nonprofit up for financial sustainability in the future. So far, it has raised a little over $600,000.
The Bike Library’s 7,000 square-foot warehouse, located at 1222 S Gilbert Ct., was purchased for $399,000 in 2021. One of the nonprofit’s main goals is to pay down the mortgage by February 2026 to avoid paying interest on loan payments.
In addition to financial sustainability, the Bike Library also has plans to become more environmentally sustainable.
In June the Bike Library will look to add around 80 solar panels to the building, with the hopes of getting its energy bill as close to zero as possible.
As a part of the campaign, the Bike Library will look to add three more work benches, permanent outdoor seating and shades, as well as a rainwater harvested bike wash. It also plans to add a bike skills loop in the outdoor courtyard.
The campaign has provided funding for the Bike Library to hire Eubanks, the organization’s first full-time youth bike coordinator about two months ago.
“I think the way that we've been thinking of the capital campaign is that it expands both our staff and facility capacity ... And so now we're in the process that we're actually working on projects at the same time as we're raising money,” said Bike Library Fundraising Coordinator Kate Wiley.
Funds from the campaign will be used to fund the first two years of the position, then it can transition to a typical operating expense. The additional operating expense will be paid using funds that have been going toward the mortgage and electricity bills, which should be freed up through the capital campaign.
Youth Bike Coordinator
Eubanks previously worked with United Action for Youth organizing outdoor recreation opportunities, which is how he was introduced to the Bike Library.
In his role, Eubanks will continue to help with the Bike Library’s Outspoken Teens program that specifically focuses on bike repair education. The program allows students to earn a bike by completing a series of repairs and maintenance. Last year, the Bike Library was able to provide 75 bikes through the program.
A standard department store level bike can be earned through about three visits, for a total of around five to six hours of work. Through the program, attendees can earn a nicer bike by learning even more advanced repairs.
“The idea with our youth programming is to make the cycling world accessible to kids, so that they have a healthy, supportive hobby for their whole life, and then the community here is the other part of it too. A lot of kids fall in love with working on bikes, and they like the mechanical part, but they also just like being here,” said Eubanks.
Eubanks is looking to add more youth programming events and increase outreach efforts to get more Iowa City area teens to the Bike Library.
The Bike Library also covers registration and transportation fees for youth who want to participate in area bike races. The Bike Library has a dedicated racing fleet available for kids interested in that space.
Eubanks is actively looking for volunteers who have a passion for bikes and working with kids. Anyone interested can reach out to him at dustin@bikelibrary.org
Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com
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