Children between the ages of 6 and 16 from Canadian low-income households are eligible to receive a cycling package (bicycle, helmet, lock, tools) donated by the My First Bicycle Foundation.

The parents or legal guardian of the child must meet the low-income cut-offs to qualify for donations. Please click here to verify if your household income falls under these guidelines.

Do you have any restrictions for qualifying?

Each qualifying child that has been approved will receive a bicycle, gift certificate to buy a helmet, bike lock, and tools to assemble bicycle.

No, but you will need to have the pertinent contact info and financial information for the household in which the child lives and permission from the parent or guardian. We will accept applications from social workers, teachers, friends of the family, etc.

Do I need to be a parent or guardian to apply?

Applications open January 1, 2022. When they open you can press the “Apply Now” button at the top of the page and you will be taken to a page where you can fill out your information. You will need to complete every section. Once you have provided all necessary details and submit your application it will be sent to us for review.

You can apply between January 1 and May 31. We begin delivery of cycling packages to successful applicants in June.

You will receive an email indicating the status of your application approximately 2 weeks after you submit your application. Applications open on January 1 and close May 31. We begin delivery to success application in April. Learn more about how our program works.

When will I find out if my child can receive a bicycle?

Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) is an income threshold used by charities to target people who may qualify for specific charitable work. When a family or person spends at least 20% more of their income on food, shelter, and clothing than the average family, their income falls within the LICO threshold.

For charities to qualify as charitable with the CRA under the Income Tax Act, their  purposes must be exclusively charitable in one of these four areas:

Certain other purposes beneficial to the community in a way the law regards as charitable

We require the parent(s) Notice of Assessment (for married or common-law, both NOAs are required) as well as the Canada Child Tax Benefit Notice (if receiving this benefit) to verify your financial situation. You must have these documents ready and upload them in the application. Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.

We require this as proof of your financial situation. To obtain a copy of your Notice of Assessment, you can log on to your online CRA account or call 1-800-959-8281 and it will be mailed to you.

I don’t have my Notice of Assessment, can I still apply?

Yes, you can apply for up to 10 children at once. Any more and you will be required to submit a second application.

Can I apply for multiple children at once?

Yes, you can have multiple active applications. Each one will be submitted and reviewed separately.

Can I have more than one application in process at once?

I am not permitted to sell the bicycles since this would undermine the purpose of the donation. If you no longer wish to use the bicycles, we suggest recipients give them away or donate it to another person in need. If recipients resell the bicycles at any time, they are responsible to reimburse the My First Bicycle Foundation for the full cost of the bicycle(s).

Can I resell the bicycle(s) that I receive? 

The bicycles donated by The My First Bicycle Foundation come at a cost, including costs related to the product, shipping, handling and storage, labor, assembly and delivery. 

The estimated cost of each bike is as follows: 

An applicant who has already received a bicycle(s) for their child(ren) can apply again after 3 years have passed, as long as the new application is for a different bicycle size than received previously.

Can I apply for the program again in the following years even if I my child(ren) have already received a bicycle(s)?

The My First Bicycle Foundation is always striving to find partners to help grow our initiative. Please contact us for any inquiries.

We make cycling more accessible for financially disadvantaged youth in Canada. Our donation package for Canadian youth includes a bicycle, helmet and lock for a complete cycling experience!

Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to receive a bicycle?

Do you have any restrictions for qualifying?

What does the child receive?

Do I need to be a parent or guardian to apply?

How do I start a new application?

When can I apply?