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Indiana Safe Routes to School Newsletter

Important updates to mini-grants, Bike & Roll to School Day Recap, and Action Alert!

Safe Routes to School Mini-Grants

Health by Design will begin accepting applications for our second round of mini-grants in August! All applications are due by August 22, 2025. Grants now range from $10,000 to $20,000. There are also some minor updates to the questions in the grant application. Visit our website to learn more and access the updated application!

Whether you have an established program or are just getting started, there’s funding available! Multiple grants will be awarded this cycle. Individual schools/corporations, community organizations, and counties/cities/towns are all encouraged to apply.

Reach out to adevine@hbdin.org if you have any questions!

National Bike & Roll to School Day Recap

Students and volunteers, including Health by Design staff, biked and rolled to IPS 88 in Indianapolis, IN on May 7.

Indiana had 17 registered events around the state for Bike & Roll to School Day on May 7! Check out which schools participated by visiting the National Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day website.

Did you know you can use Health by Design’s mini-grants to fund Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day events? Fort Wayne’s Active Transportation Coalition is a current grantee who used their grant to provide bike helmets and lights to participating students.

Read coverage from different cities below!

It’s never too early to think about your next event – and the National Center for Safe Routes to School just published a new guidebook on Bike Buses! Click here to access the PDF.

📢 TAKE ACTION: SRTS Bipartisan Legislation in Congress

Bipartisan Safe Routes to School legislation has been introduced in both the House (HR 3931) and Senate (S. 1828) in the US Congress!

The Kids on the Go Act of 2025, led by Rep. Hilary Scholten (D-MI-3) and Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA-08), incentivizes state DOTs to designate statewide Safe Routes to School coordinators, unlocking greater support for communities and reducing the local cost share for infrastructure projects.

According to the Safe Routes Partnership, research shows that states with coordinators are significantly more likely to support local communities in accessing funding to build safe places to walk and bike, provide transportation safety curricula and education, and help families benefit from infrastructure investments.

States with Safe Routes to School coordinators are:

4x more likely to support new local programs
12x more likely to help communities access funding
5x more likely to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety in schools

Indiana hasn’t had a SRTS Coordinator at INDOT since the federal transportation bill stopped requiring it in 2012, and we’ve seen the negative impact to our program across the state. Smaller states that retained their coordinator consistently have higher participation rates in Walk, Bike & Roll to School Days and have more cohesion across their program.

Contact Sen. Jim Banks, Sen. Todd Young, and your Representative and urge them to support the Kids on the Go Act!

Indiana U.S. Senator Contact Page

Indiana U.S. Representative Contact Page