Your gift to Many Hands can become a $100,000 grant to a high-impact community-based nonprofit through the power of collective giving. Each year we bring together hundreds of donors who pool their time, talent, and treasure to support small nonprofits serving and empowering DC-area women, children, and families in socioeconomic need. The 2023 grantees received a total of $310,000 to help them keep kids in school, empower immigrant families, create healthy environments for children, and eradicate homelessness for LGBTQIA2S+ youth.

Members who join by December 31 are eligible to serve on a Focus Area Committee, starting in February, and select one of the four grantees. All members are eligible to vote in May for the organization that will receive the 2024 $100,000 Impact Grant.

All it takes to become a member is a gift of $1,000 or more ($300 for members under 35). If cost is a barrier, the Many Hands Many Voices pilot offers a 50% gift waiver upon request to donors who live or work in our service area and plan to be actively involved. In addition, we welcome non-membership gifts at any level.

To learn more about membership, visit our website or email Lori Sostowski at membership@manyhandsdc.org. If you have questions about making your gift, please contact Frazier Schulman at treasurer@manyhandsdc.org. We welcome donations by credit card and check, grants from DAFs, qualified charitable distributions from IRAs, and gifts of securities. If you would like a 2023 tax receipt for your gift of securities, please initiate the transaction by December 15.

Thank you for your support!

Many Hands will accept grant applications for the 2024 grant cycle from Tuesday, January 2 through Friday, January 19. The application form is now available for preview on our grant portal. If you have questions about our eligibility criteria or application and review process, please register for our applicant call with members of the Grants Committee at 10:00 am on Wednesday, December 13. This session will be recorded and posted to our website. In addition, we welcome questions by email to grants@manyhandsdc.org through January 7. Answers to submitted questions will be found in updated Applicant FAQs by January 14.

Focus Area Committees (FACs) will begin reviewing applications in February. Members, look for information about the 2024 FAC process in the January newsletter!

Many Hands is ringing in the new year with a gathering for young professionals on Sunday, January 7. We welcome both current and prospective members to join us at this event. To receive the invitation and updates, or to share this opportunity with friends or colleagues, please email Lori Sostowski at membership@manyhandsdc.org.

Many thanks to Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz, CEO/ED of 2022 Partner Grantee Capital Area Asset Builders (CAAB), and Anne Vor der Bruegge, director of grants and initiatives at the Arlington Community Foundation, for joining us for a fascinating discussion of guaranteed income pilots. If you missed the webinar, you can now watch the recording on our website.

In related news, we are excited to share that CAAB and 2019 Partner Grantee Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)/Prince George's County are among the organizations partnering with the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Prince George's County Government, and the Meyer Foundation to launch Thrive Prince George's, the first guaranteed income pilot exclusively serving residents of Prince George's County. The $4 million program will provide unconditional monthly payments of $800 to 50 youth (age 18-24) who have aged out of foster care and 125+ seniors (age 60+) for 24 months. Click here for more information about the program.

Many Hands was proud to be a co-host of the 2023 Philanos conference, PowerUP! Baltimore, which brought together 325 attendees to learn, connect, and celebrate collective giving. Twelve Many Hands members participated in the conference, including Melissa O'Neil and Ellen Oshinky, who represented Many Hands as DEI Advocates. In addition, Many Hands was honored to receive a Spotlight Award for transformational grantmaking. This award recognizes the partnership between 2022 grantees My Sister's Place and Capital Area Asset Builders in creating the RISE Trust, the first cash transfer program for domestic violence survivors nationwide.

Many Hands members are eligible for all Philanos benefits, including free registration for webinars and affinity groups, access to affiliate-only online resources, and discounted conference rates. To get started, email Karen Murrell at info@manyhandsdc.org to set up your Philanos account.

Many Hands leverages the power of collective giving to support nonprofits serving and empowering Washington, DC area women, children, and families in socioeconomic need. Many Hands is a 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 51-0486987.