Many Hands received 133 grant applications between October 1 and November 5. We are grateful to all the organizations who took the time to tell us about their work. If you are interested in learning more about this year's grantmaking process and timeline, please visit our website.

The Grants Committee is currently reviewing all applications to ensure that they meet our eligibility criteria and are assigned to the appropriate Focus Area Committees (FACs). Following this review, the four FACs--Housing, Health, Education, and Economic Empowerment--will start meeting to discuss applications in depth.

Those who have participated in grantmaking in the past can attest that this collaborative, member-driven process is a highlight of their Many Hands experience. Focus area work commences in January and culminates in May with the membership-wide vote that determines which organization will receive the Many Hands $100,000 Impact Grant and which will receive Partner Grants, which have exceeded $50,000 in recent years.

The more we raise, the more we give: that is the power of collective giving. If you have already joined Many Hands for the 2022 grant cycle, many thanks! If not, we invite you to renew your membership or become a member today.

Many Hands has three types of membership, reflecting different donation levels. All members enjoy the same membership benefits and voting privileges. Become a Sustaining Member with a donation of $1,100 or more, a Member with a donation of $1,000, or a Young Member (under 35) with a donation of $500. Non-membership donations are also welcome. Here are a few of the ways to give:

One-Time Payment: To make your gift by credit card, check, or DAF, click here.

Monthly Payments: We have monthly payment plans for a variety of gift levels. In addition, our monthly payment plans give you the option to have your membership renew automatically at the end of the grant cycle. To learn more and enroll in an installment plan, click here.

Stock Transfer or IRA Rollover: Many Hands gratefully accepts donations of securities and funds from IRAs. To make a gift of securities or in some other form, please contact Margaret Vassilikos at treasurer@manyhandsdc.org.

The more than 50 Many Hands members who are participating in "Head, Heart, and Hands" have taken a deep dive into some of the fundamental questions driving our racial equity work: What are possible impacts of the differences between the nonprofit/philanthropic sector and the communities they seek to serve? What are some of the causes of disparities that persist within or may be perpetuated by philanthropy? What can funders like Many Hands do to reduce these disparities?

Registrants will receive a Zoom link after Thanksgiving for the final session, which will take place on Thursday, December 2. We are also offering an optional check-in on Thursday, November 18 for participants interested in pursuing these questions in informal, small group conversations; the Zoom link was provided in the follow-up email we sent last Friday. If you have questions or have been unable to participate and would like to learn more, please email Mary Kwak at president@manyhandsdc.org.

Want to get more involved with Many Hands? The Membership Committee meets every few months (4-5 times a year) to plan and execute Many Hands events. We are also currently discussing the role that member education and events can play in our efforts to expand and diversify Many Hands membership. The committee is looking for a few more members. If you are interested, please email Lynne Battle and Frazier Schulman at membership@manyhandsdc.org.

Longtime Many Hands member Shelley Stanfield has served on numerous FACs as well as the Racial Equity Working Group. We asked Shelley to share a little about herself and her connection to Many Hands.

Why did you join Many Hands? As a retired magazine reporter on various aspects of social policy, I was looking for a coordinated, rational way to focus my charitable giving. In 2012, my daughter-in-law introduced me to Many Hands, and it has been a perfect fit. Which focus area attracts you most? Economic Empowerment attracted me because it is at the root of helping others. How do you stay inspired? I stay inspired because there is no alternative.

Shelley focuses much of her reading and thinking on racial equity, and a recent book she recommends is Say It Loud! On Race, Law, History, and Culture by Harvard Law School Professor Randall Kennedy. Despite the book's name, she says, Kennedy uses mostly measured language and carefully reasoned arguments to describe how "racism continues to be a major force in America," despite what he calls the inspirational African American journey from slavery to freedom. In 29 essays, he discusses both the present situation--including "the George Floyd Moment"--and the landmark Supreme Court decisions that have shaped our racial history. But Kennedy doesn't mince words. A damning chapter on Justice Clarence Thomas, for example, describes Thomas's "vapidity and opportunism" and compares his legal rulings to "the platform of the Republican Party and the talking points of Rush Limbaugh."

To Shelley's full review, click here.

A new report from the Urban Institute highlights the challenges the pandemic has created for nonprofits. According to Nonprofit Trends and Impacts 2021, 40% of nonprofits saw revenues decline in 2020, with an average decrease of 31%.

Many organizations scaled back services between March 2020 and spring 2021, with 47% reporting that they reduced the number of people they served and 44% responding that they reduced the number of programs. Yet many others expanded as demand for services soared: 41% of nonprofits served more people, and 38% operated more programs during the pandemic. Nearly one-third of organizations reported serving a wider geographic area, compared to 10% that pulled back.

The report also examined nonprofit demographics and found that 79% of executive directors and board chairs are non-Hispanic white, exceeding their share of the nonprofit workforce by 11 percentage points. The percentage of boards that are entirely white has declined from 51% in 2005 to 30% today, but nearly one in six nonprofits serving primarily people of color have all white boards. Women, who make up two-thirds of the nonprofit workforce, serve as executive directors at 62% of organizations and as board chairs at under half.

Many Hands is a women's grantmaking organization committed to making a lasting impact on the lives of Washington, DC area women, children, and families in socioeconomic need and to helping its members become well-informed donors. Many Hands is a 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. EIN: 51-0486987. Mailing address: Many Hands Inc., PO Box 15048, Chevy Chase, MD 20825.