Worcester Earn-a-Bike is more than a community bicycle shop – it’s a space for education, empowerment and connection. Located on King Street in Worcester behind The Village, an Afrocentric cultural center, the shop promotes cycling as a tool for environmental sustainability and community building. 

With the help of volunteers, Earn-A-Bike provides youth and adults with the tools and knowledge needed to repair and maintain bicycles, ultimately earning a bike themselves from the shop’s donated inventory

A Nonprofit Effectiveness Grant from the Foundation supported Nathan Lewis (pictured below) as he transitioned from board member to the shop’s new Executive Director in late 2024. Beginning in January 2025, Earn-a-Bike’s board and staff will collaborate with a consultant to set priorities for the year ahead. 

The consultant will support board development and fundraising strategy, and work with Nathan one-on-one to provide executive coaching. Lewis welcomes the external support, saying, “The transition from board member to ED was overwhelming, so I’m grateful to have the opportunity to get formal training to help me throughout the process.”

Despite Worcester being the second largest city in New England, Earn-A-Bike is the only community bike shop in Worcester. Beyond being a place to repair bikes, it also serves as a safe space for people in the community, located in the city’s diverse neighborhood of Main South.

Frankie Franco, VP of the board, describes it as “a space where the community can come together and communicate with each other that just so happens to be a bicycle shop.”

While most of the shop’s programming takes place in the warmer months, they also offer a series of free workshops over the winter and spring called “Learn-A-Bike.” Each session focuses on a specific component of bike mechanics, allowing for deeper learning beyond what’s possible during regular shop hours.

Looking forward, Earn-A-Bike is interested in becoming more involved in bike advocacy, making Worcester’s roads safer for cyclists and improving the cycling infrastructure in the city. 

They also plan to revive successful inclusive programs like “Women, Trans, Femme Nights” to reach new audiences and hope to better support Main South’s immigrant community by offering multilingual assistance in the shop.

This story was originally published in our 2024 Annual Report.