World Bicycle Relief NFP
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF MOBILIZES COMMUNITIES IN RURAL REGIONS AROUND THE WORLD TO THRIVE WITH LIFE CHANGING BICYCLES. (CONT'D IN SCHEDULE O)
- Income
- $14.3 million
- Spending
- $13.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 67%
- Reserves
- 6.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 95%
- Employees
- 31
- Volunteers
- 10
- Highest pay
- $394,707, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 68% of charities in its peer group (public safety and disaster relief, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 6.4 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 28% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1567% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 19 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (public safety and disaster relief, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 9 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $7.1 million spent. PROGRAM ACTIVITIESWBR'S MOBILIZED COMMUNITIES PROGRAM MODEL DRIVES SUSTAINABLE BICYCLE USE THROUGH COMMUNITY-LED MULTISECTOR PROGRAMMING, SUPPORTING IMPROVED RURAL ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, CONSERVATION, AND LIVELIHOODS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES AND SUPPORT FROM GOVERMENTS, BUSINESSES AND NGOS, TARGETED REGIONS BENEFIT FROM AN INFUSION OF QUALITY BICYCLES, PROGRAMMING, AND MECHANIC TRAINING. (CONTINUED IN SCHEDULE O). WE ALSO ESTABLISH LINKS TO OUR SOCIAL ENTERPORISE BUSINSESS BUFFALO BICYCLES TO SELL BUFFALO BICYCLES AND SPARE PARTS, ENSURING EXPANDED ACCESS AND SUSTAINABLE BICYCLE USE IN THE COMMUNITIES. AFTER AN ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS AND POTENTIAL IMPACT OF BICYCLE PROGRAMMING, LOCAL COMMITTEES WITHIN EACH COMMUNITY SHAPE AND MANAGE PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS. THESE BICYCLE SUPERVISORY COMMITTEES ALSO OVERSEE LOCAL BICYCLE MECHANICS AND OFFER SUPPORT TO PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE PRIORITIZED IN THE MOBILIZED COMMUNITY PROGRAM DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL MOBILITY BARRIERS THEY OFTEN FACE. OUR THEORY OF CHANGE IS BASED ON THE HYPOTHESIS THAT IF COMMUNITIES HELP IDENTIFY THE DISTANCE BARRIERS THEY FACE AND CO-DESIGN SOLUTIONS, ARE SUPPORTED TO CREATE LOCAL MANAGEMENT STRUCTURES, AND ARE PROVIDED WITH HIGH QUALITY BUFFALO BICYCLES, SUPPORTED BY WBR-TRAINED COMMUNITY MECHANICS AND ACCESS TO SPARE PARTS, THEN THEY WILL MANAGE COMMUNITY BICYCLE PROGRAMS AND BENEFIT FROM IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION TO GOODS AND SERVICES. THAT WILL RESULT IN IMPROVED HOUSEHOLD ACCESS TO MARKETS, COMMUNITY STRUCTURES AND SERVICES, GIRL AND BOY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, MAINTAINED BICYCLES, AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY OWNED BICYCLE PROGRAMS. OVER THE LONG-TERM, WE EXPECT THE MOBILIZED COMMUNITIES APPROACH WILL RESULT IN IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY, INCREASED AND DIVERSIFIED HOUSEHOLD INCOMES, IMPROVED EDUCATION AND HEALTHCARE, AND OTHER EMPOWERMENT OUTCOMES. THESE OUTCOMES, SUPPORTED BY WBR'S HOLISTIC BICYCLE ECOSYSTEM, WILL RESULT IN PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES BEING INDEPENDENT AND THRIVING.
- $1.4 million spent. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTFOR THOSE WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF SERVES, THE VALUE OF A BICYCLE IS ULTIMATELY MEASURED IN THE TIME AND EFFORT IT SAVES. THE VALUE OF THE BUFFALO BICYCLE ISNT IN THE OBJECT ITSELF, BUT RATHER IN THE FUCTION IT PROVIDES. BUFFALO BICYCLES DRAMATICALLY INCREASE EFFICIENCY FOR ITS USERS - INDIVIDUALS AT THE LOWEST LEVEL OF THE ECONOMIC LADDER. (CONTINUED IN SCHEDULE O). THAT'S WHY WBR'S PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TEAM CONSTANTLY WORKS TO IMPROVE THE BICYCLE AND ITS SPARE PARTS: TO HELP ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY AND ADVANCEMENT OF ALL PROGRAMS THAT USE THE BUFFALO BICYCLE. WBR'S GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF ALL ANSWERS ARE FOUND IN THE COUNTRIES WE SERVE MEANING THAT DESIGN DECISIONS ARE FRAMED BY THE LANDSCAPE OF LOCALLY AVAILABLE SPARE PARTS, TOOLS AND REPAIR EXPERTISE, AS WELL AS CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT HOW BIKES ARE LIKELY TO BE USED AND MAINTAINED.THIS OFTEN RESULTS IN USING UNCONVENTIONAL COMPONENTS ON THE BIKES. IN 2024, WBR LAUNCHED THE BUFFALO BICYCLE UTILITY S2, A NEW MULTI-SPEED MODEL DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS AND GLOBAL PRODUCT ENGINEERS TO MEET THE GROWING MOBILITY NEEDS OF ADULTS ENGAGED IN INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES. THE UTILITY S2 FEATURES A DURABLE DRIVETRAIN, IMPROVED LOAD-BEARING CAPABILITIES, AND ENHANCED COMFORTOFFERING RIDERS MORE FLEXIBILITY OVER VARIED TERRAIN AND DISTANCES. IT REFLECTS WBR'S COMMITMENT TO RESPONSIVE DESIGN, ROOTED IN USER FEEDBACK AND RIGOROUS FIELD TESTING. WHERE THE AVAILABLE SPARE PARTS ARE INADEQUATE, WBR SEEKS TO MAKE BETTER PARTS AVAILABLE. WHERE AVAILABILITY IS LIMITED, WBR SEEKS TO IMPROVE DISTRIBUTION AND ACCESS THROUGH ITS NETWORK OF TRAINED MECHANICS AND GROWING NETWORK OF LOCAL SHOPS. THE DESIGN OF THE BICYCLE IS DYNAMIC. THE PROCESS IS ONGOING. AS THE ORGANIZATION GROWS, AND ANNUAL VOLUMES INCREASE, WBR REVISITS EARLIER DESIGN DECISIONS TO CONTINUOUSLY REFINE THE BICYCLE.
- $749,724 spent. MONITORING AND EVALUATIONWORLD BICYCLE RELIEF CONSISTENTLY MEASURES THE IMPACT OF BICYCLES IN BOTH WBR-LED AND PARTNER-LED PROGRAMS. WE APPLY A RIGOROUS MONITORING AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORK TO ENSURE THAT OUR INTERVENTIONS ARE EVIDENCE-BASED, ADAPTIVE, AND RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. KEY METRICS INCLUDE CHANGES IN PARTICIPANT ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIESAND OVER THE LONG TERM, IMPROVEMENTS IN INCOME, EMPOWERMENT, AND HOUSEHOLD RESILIENCE.IN 2024, WBR AND RESEARCH PARTNER IDINSIGHT COMPLETED THE ORGANIZATION'S FIRST RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON THE IMPACT OF BICYCLES ON ADULT LIVELIHOODS. CONDUCTED IN MUMBWA DISTRICT, ZAMBIA, THE STUDY FOUND THAT ACCESS TO A BUFFALO BICYCLE LED TO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITY, TIME SAVINGS, AND ACCESS TO MARKETS AND ESSENTIAL SERVICESPARTICULARLY FOR WOMEN. THIS LANDMARK EVALUATION VALIDATES THE MOBILIZED COMMUNITIES MODEL AS A HIGH-IMPACT, SCALABLE APPROACH TO ADDRESSING MOBILITY POVERTY IN RURAL REGIONS.BY LEVERAGING INSIGHTS FROM BOTH QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH AND ONGOING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, WBR CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVES ITS PROGRAMS, PRODUCT DESIGN, AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE LONG-TERM IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2006.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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