As of December 31, 2020, Many Hands members have contributed more than $230,000 to the 2021 grant fund. We are deeply grateful to all of our members for the generosity and commitment with which they have responded to this year's challenges. So far, 40 members have joined Many Hands for the first time during this grant cycle, and nearly 200 women have renewed their membership.

We continue to welcome new and returning members to join Many Hands for the 2021 grant cycle, which ends in May. As always, 100% of your $1000 membership contribution ($500 for members under 35) will go directly to our grantees. For more information about membership, please visit our website at manyhandsdc.org/membership or email Membership Committee co-chairs Lynne Battle and Anna Pfeiffer at membership@manyhandsdc.org.

Last month we were thrilled and honored to briefly trade our grantmaking hat for that of a grantee. Many Hands was one of more than 75 groups that joined the Racial Equity Community of Practice organized by Philanthropy Together in partnership with Community Investment Network and CommunityBuild Ventures. From July through December, members participated in monthly meetings designed to help giving circles better understand how to embed racial equity in their culture, grantmaking, and impact. At the conclusion of the series, Philanthropy Together made grants to 25 of the participants to ensure that this important work continues. We thank Philanthropy Together for their leadership and support and congratulate our fellow grantees and participants in this learning journey.

There's still time to sign up for our next Coffee & Conversation--an informal, virtual get-together to connect with fellow members. In addition to casual conversation, Membership Committee Chair Kathryn Zecca will provide an introduction to the Focus Area Committee process and Focus Area Chairs will also be available to answer questions. This event will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about Focus Area Committees before signup begins the following day.

When: Sunday, January 10 @ 3:00 pm

Where: Zoom link will be provided to registered attendees

Please contact Membership Committee co-chairs Lynne Battle and Anna Pfeiffer at membership@manyhandsdc.org with any questions. We hope to see you soon!

Later this month, the 2021 Economic Empowerment (formerly Job Readiness), Education, Health, and Housing Committees will meet for the first time for the start of our first all-virtual grant cycle. By the end of April, each committee will select one organization as its finalist for the 2021 Many Hands $100,000 Impact Grant. All four finalists will be invited to present their proposals to Many Hands members in May. A membership vote will determine which organization receives the Impact Grant; each of the others will receive a Partner Grant.

If you have made your membership gift (or are current on installment payments), you will receive an email with a link to sign up for a committee on Monday, January 11 at 9:30 am. For specifics on when each committee will meet, revisit our December newsletter. Committees fill up quickly, so mark your calendar now!

We will send a reminder about committee signups to eligible members on Sunday, January 10. If you do not receive this email despite having made your gift, or if you have questions about the status of your donation or your eligibility to serve on a committee, please contact us as soon as possible at membership@manyhandsdc.org. Due to postal delays, it is possible that we have not yet received checks mailed in December.

Many Hands is a member of Philanos, a nationwide network of 70+ collective giving organizations, which have together made more than $140 million in grants. As a Many Hands member, you are eligible for full access to the member portal on the Philanos website and can receive news directly from Philanos, including webinar and conference announcements.

Their January webinar, The Power of Thinking Small: Smaller Grants Can Have Big Impact, will consider how COVID-19 is changing how we think about philanthropy, from the perspective of both grantors and grantees. The presentation will consider such questions as: How can grantmakers become better at listening to nonprofits, particularly smaller and newer organizations? And what can nonprofits teach us about our communities?

The webinar will take place on Tuesday, January 12 at 12:00 pm ET; registration closes on Sunday, January 10. To register for the webinar or gain access to the member portal, please email Board Secretary Melissa Dennis at info@manyhandsdc.org and include "Philanos Registration" in the subject line.

As an all-volunteer organization, Many Hands is always looking for people to help with our work. If serving on a Focus Area Committee does not fit your schedule, there are many volunteer opportunities that provide more flexibility in terms of time and commitment. Some possibilities include:

We all understand, firsthand or anecdotally, that the pandemic has hit children and families hard, particularly within communities of color. A recent study by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, drawing on data from the US Census Bureau, spells out the scope and depth of this impact in numbers and charts that are impossible to ignore.

The report notes that prior to the pandemic, millions of children in America were growing up without having their basic needs met, with uncertainty and instability a daily reality. In 2019, 12 million children lived in poverty, and 4.4 million lacked health insurance. More than 1 in 10 households faced food insecurity, and 1 in 6 people with children faced housing instability. In addition, high-quality education remained out of reach for many, due in part to dramatic cuts in education funding following the Great Recession that more than tripled the funding gap between low-poverty and high-poverty school districts.

The pandemic has worsened every aspect of health and economic well-being for families with children, and the impact has been most acute for communities of color, particularly African American and Latino households. In the fall of 2020, nearly one-quarter of African American families reported they sometimes or often did not have enough food to eat, compared with 10 percent of White families. Nearly one-quarter of Latino families lacked health insurance, compared with 8% of White families.

The authors urge policymakers at the Federal, state, and local levels to take immediate measures to support children and families and to prioritize equity in every aspect of the response. To read the full report, which includes specific policy recommendations, click here.

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.