The heart and soul of Many Hands is our grantmaking process. By serving on a Focus Area Committee, you can be an essential part of that process, while learning more about area nonprofits who serve women, children, and families in socioeconomic need. To learn more about participating in committee work, click here.

Meeting information for this year's four Focus Area Committees--Economic Empowerment (formerly Job Readiness), Education, Health, and Housing--appears below. This grantmaking cycle, all meetings and site visits will be conducted via Zoom. Each committee will meet 5 or 6 times from late January through April, and site visits will be conducted from late February through March. The membership-wide annual meeting, at which we hear presentations from the finalists for the 2021 Many Hands $100,000 Impact Grant, is scheduled for May 13, 2021.

Economic Empowerment Committee: Tuesdays at 7:00 pm

Education Committee: Wednesdays at 8:30 am

Health Committee: Sundays at 2:00 pm

Housing Committee: Tuesdays at 8:30 am

Members who have made their gift by December 31, 2020 (or are current on installment payments) will be eligible to serve on a committee. Signup information will be emailed to all eligible members in early January.

We have been thrilled with the turnout from members and friends for our fall events. We kicked off the season with a thought-provoking panel on maternal mortality in DC and the role that systemic racism plays in perpetuating this crisis. Former Many Hands Board member Jill Meyer moderated the lively discussion with Andria Cornell and Ebony Marcelle. If you were unable to attend, you can watch the event here.

The following week, Tammi Houton joined members at our first virtual Coffee & Conversation to provide an update on 2020 Impact Grantee Nourish Now. To see Tammi's presentation, which illuminates the scale of food insecurity in our region as well as how Nourish Now approaches its work, click here.

And on Giving Tuesday, just last week, Board member Katy Moore moderated a panel discussion with Tamara Lucas Copeland and Kathy Kretman on how philanthropy can advance racial equity. Click here to view their frank and powerful conversation.

'Tis the season for giving, and a Many Hands membership makes a terrific eco-friendly gift for the philanthropist in your life--even if (or especially if!) that philanthropist is you. Annual membership is $1000 ($500 for women under 35). Non-membership donations can also be made in a gift recipient's honor.

This year we have more ways than ever to give:

One-Time Payment: To make your gift by credit card, click here. Or send your check to Many Hands Inc., PO Box 15048, Chevy Chase, MD 20825.

Payment in Installments: We recently launched two installment plans. You can make your gift in two equal installments, due December 15 and April 15. Or you can make 50% of your gift by December 15 and make two additional payments of 25% each, due February 15 and April 15. By participating in either plan, you will be eligible to sign up for a Focus Area Committee. To enroll in an installment plan, click here.

Stock Transfer or IRA Rollover: Many Hands gratefully accepts donations of securities. Donating appreciated stock can have both tax and investment advantages. In addition, if you are over 70 1/2, you may be able to use a charitable IRA rollover to make a tax-free donation to Many Hands. Ask your financial advisor for details about either of these options.

If you have any questions, please email Wendy Gray at treasurer@manyhandsdc.org.

The 2020 Grant Cycle brought both unprecedented challenges and renewed evidence of the resilience of Many Hands' members and the importance of our work. We granted a total of $266,500 to four organizations serving those most vulnerable to the pandemic--women, children and families in socioeconomic need: Nourish Now, Calvary Women's Services, Generation Hope, and Homestretch. With these grants, Many Hands has awarded nearly $2 million since 2004. To learn more about Many Hands' impact in the community and other highlights of our year, download our Impact Report.

Join Many Hands after the holidays for our second Coffee & Conversation--an informal virtual get-together to connect with fellow Many Hands members and friends. In addition to casual conversation, this event will provide an opportunity to learn more about Focus Area Committees in small groups.

We can't gather in person now, but let's get together for a cup of coffee (given the hour, you might want to make it decaf or herbal tea) and connect with one another!

When: Sunday, January 10 @ 3:00 pm

Where: Zoom link will be provided to registered attendees.

Many different paths lead women to Many Hands. For Catherine Foot, it was a walk through the Bethesda Farmers Market, where she came across a booth promoting community-based mentoring programs, including Generation Hope. Catherine, a former attorney who was raising her own children, was taken with Generation Hope's commitment to helping motivated teen parents thrive in college while preparing their children for kindergarten success. A crucial part of Generation Hope's approach is to pair each of their Scholars with a mentor, based on research that shows that youth are five times more likely to graduate from college if they have a meaningful relationship with an adult. Catherine became that adult in Rebeca Alvarez's life. To learn more about their relationship and where it led, click here.

Sometimes members find new volunteer passions through Many Hands; sometimes those passions lead women to become Many Hands members. And sometimes those stories intersect. Andrea Taylor has been a member of Many Hands since its inception in 2004 and has served on a Focus Area Committee during nearly every grant cycle. Melissa Hancock joined Many Hands last year after relocating to the DC area. Click here to learn more about the work that brought them together--advocating on behalf of children in foster care through Voices for Children Montgomery.

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.