March 16th, 2020
Dear BICAS Community,
In light of recent developments, BICAS will be closed to the public effective immediately, through at least March 31st. We have painstakingly weighed our role as a community resource against the risk of COVID-19 exposure, especially for the most vulnerable members of our community. Taking into account other closures of similar community spaces both locally and nationally, BICAS is canceling all services and classes at this time, including Community Tools, WTF Workshop, Work Trade, Community Service, Youth Drop In, and sales.
If you are using your unexpected “social isolation” time to clean out your garage/yard, we will still be accepting donations of bikes and parts, but we ask that you drop them off outside the building. If you need a tax receipt, please email bicas@bicas.org.
We have been encouraged in recent days by Tucson’s support and compassion for one another during these uncertain and unprecedented times. We will be posting community resource lists as they become available. If you are in a position to do so, we are seeking monetary donations to help BICAS weather the unexpected expense of this closure. The great majority of our income comes from in-shop sales. BICAS is a qualifying 501 c(3) non-profit organization, allowing Arizona residents to use their AZ Tax Credits with us. We deeply appreciate any financial assistance our community can offer so that we can bounce back after this crisis recedes. Donations may be made here: https://bicas.org/donate/donation-drive/
Thank you, always, for all your continued support.
Sincerely,
The BICAS Collective
Photo of BICAS’ entrance with the door closed.
For over 36 years, BICAS has been a place where anyone could go to gain access to bikes, bike parts, bike repair, mechanics education and art. We have built a beautiful and much needed community resource where all are welcome, children can thrive through bike education, and low-income individuals can quickly gain access to resources needed to maintain their employment, housing, healthcare and access essential community resources. We take our commitment to this community very seriously, but at this time we are in a financial crisis and need your help.
In 2025, BICAS was owed $106,000 through a government funded grant, but this money was not paid out and then spent by the city of Tucson, causing BICAS much financial uncertainty. In 2026, several ongoing funders have been unable to provide grants due to the decreasing amount of federal funding available and drastic changes to the nonprofit funding landscape. These combined have immensely impact our small organization and as a result BICAS is at risk of closing or pausing our operations.
This shift means that we are more reliant on financial donations, and money raised in our bike shop. We are urgently asking you to consider making a donation to our organization in order to preserve bicas and ensure we can remain a resource for years to come. Any support you can offer is deeply appreciated and needed.
With much gratitude and love,
The BICAS Collective
