IRS 990 Nonprofit Profile

World Bicycle Relief Nfp

We address the systemic challenges of distance and rural mobility by manufacturing a bicycle specially designed to meet the needs and preferences of people in low income regions dealing with rough roads and heavy loads in rural areas. rugged, affordable, long-lasting, and locally-assembled, wbr distributes the buffalo bicycle to health care providers, students, farmers, and other community service workers who cannot afford to buy them. we support a sustainable bicycle mobility ecosystem for bicycle riders by, training local bicycle mechanics, providing market-based access to spare parts, and nurturing community ownership of programming for long-term impact. since 2005, wbr has distributed 891,000 purpose-built bicycles (as of may 2025), impacting an estimated 4 million individuals across 23 countries. we learn and adapt programming based on user and parnter feedback, rigorously measure results, and iterate the buffalo bicycle and our programs to optimize impact. illustrative results * education: wbr's education programming in zambia was the subject of a recent study an independent randomized controlled trialled by innovations for poverty action. the study found that over just one year, girls with our buffalo bicycles and supportive programming achieved a 66% increase in punctuality, 28% reduction in absenteeism, 33% reduction in time to travel to school (saving them nearly six hours a week), improved math scores, and increased feelings of safety. as importantly, the researchers also found statistically significant improvements in an array of measures of girls' empowerment, such as pro-sociality, locus of control, bargaining power, fertility preferences, and self-image. a follow up evaluation found girls with buffalo bicycles for two years were 19% less likely to drop out of school. * health: on two u.S. agency for international development funded health focused activities, the projects found that with a buffalo bicycle, health workers in kenya increased their monthly patient visits 88%, boosted patient referrals up to 50%, and contributed to tuberculosis drug defaulter rates dropping to 0% in a sample of clinics. in zambia, where retaining volunteer health workers can be a major challenge, the project found that with a two-year service-to-own incentive agreement for a bicycle, health worker retention rates reached 95%. * livelihoods: through a partnership with a local zambian dairy cooperative providing milk to parmalat, wbr has been selling buffalo bicycles to small holder dairy farmers. with their bicycle, the cooperative's farmers increased their deliveries by 25% and incomes by 23%, while maintaining a 100% repayment rate. in support of a food and agriculture organization activity promoting conservation agriculture practices, lead farmers that were provided buffalo bicycles increased their follower farmer visits by 120%, 79% of lead farmers were able to visit more follower farmers per month, and time to market dropped by 45%, saving 3.5 hours per week while reducing post-harvest losses. the need according to the world bank, one billion people lack access to economic opportunities, markets, healthcare, and education due to distance. in africa alone, 70% of the rural population lack access to all season road and transport services, and primarily rely on walking. rural households face several barriers preventing them from overcoming the challenge of distance. in sparsely populated geographies, national and local governments provide few public transport options. personal transport assets, like bicycles and motorbikes, are relatively expensive for low income households, and rural households also have limited access to financial services and products. and, even if a household purchases a personal transport asset, those available tend to be of poorer quality, don't last long, don't meet the household's needs, are costly to maintain, and have limited options for spare parts and maintenance. as a result, distance and lack of affordable, reliable transportation have profound impact on development outcomes. for example, according to the u.S. agency for international development, 47% of rural-based women in zimbabwe cited distance as a primary challenge to accessing health care versus just 10% of urban-based women. in malawi, net attendance for secondary schools in rural areas is just 13%, a third of the rate of secondary school attendance in urban areas. and in zambia, 64% of rural residents fall within the lowest two wealth quintiles versus 3.1% of urban residents. meeting the need and market demand wbr addresses the need and market demand for affordable, quality bicycle transport in developing regions of the world through a holistic, sustainable approach. we utilize an innovative business model: wbr is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit that owns 100% of buffalo bicycle limited, a for-profit social enterprise. through wbr's 501(c)3, wbr raises funds to provide transport solutions to those who cannot afford them, and through buffalo bicycle limited, we sell the buffalo bicycle, spare parts, and value-added services. all proceeds from bicycle sales support wbr-funded programs, replacing some of the need for philanthropic funds. buffalo bicycle limited also multiplies our impact by increasing market access to affordable/high-quality bicycle transport, diversifying our funding base, providing a market-based supply chain of spare parts, and creating manufacturing economies of scale that lower the per bike cost of wbr programs. we distribute our bicycles through three primary channels: organizational sales and partnerships (e.G. un agencies, ngos), consumer sales (e.G. individuals and local businesses), and wbr-funded programs that donate bicycles to those who cannot afford them (e.G. rural students living below the poverty line). throughout our activities, we emphasize gender equality to maximize the impact of our work. in our permanent presence countries of colombia, kenya, malawi, zambia, uganda, tanzania and ,zimbabwe, we establish market-based bicycle ecosystems by training local mechanics, establishing spare parts supply chains, building community ownership of programs, rigorously monitoring results, and iterating our programs and products based on user and partner feedback.

Filing year

2024

Total revenue

$14.3M

Total expenses

$13.6M

Program expenses

$9.2M

Administration

$1.8M

Fundraising

$2.7M

Program share of expenses

67%

EIN

205080679

Location

Chicago, IL

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