WELCOME TO THE 2020 GRANT CYCLE!
MANY HANDS UPDATES
Save the Date for Our Kickoff Meeting
Join us on October 17 to help kick off the 2020 grant cycle! Meet other women who are committed to making a difference in our community and hear Jodi Ovca, Executive Director of Access Youth, reflect on what the 2019 Many Hands $100,000 Impact Grant has meant for her organization's work.

When: Thursday, October 17 @ 7:00 pm

Where: Chevy Chase Village Hall

Light refreshments will be served. Ample street parking is available. Bring a friend!
Spread the Word About Our Grants
Do you know a local nonprofit serving women, children, and families in need that would benefit from a Many Hands grant? Please let them know that we will be accepting applications for the 2020 grant cycle from October 1 through November 15. Detailed information on our eligibility requirements and application process are available on our website at manyhandsdc.org/grants.
Welcome Our New Board Members
We are delighted to announce that the following Many Hands members have agreed to join our Board for a three-year term:
Katy Moore is senior director at Orr Group, a strategic fundraising firm. She has more than 15 years of experience in philanthropy, including 11 years at the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers. This is her fourth year with Many Hands. She has served on the Health and Housing Committees.
Karen Murrell is founder and president of Higher Heights Consulting and Training, a consulting firm based in Silver Spring, MD that helps develop programs, products, and policies that improve the financial well-being of all Americans. This is her second year with Many Hands. She has served on the Health Committee.
Dianne Rudo is principal of Rudo International Advisors, a consulting firm in Washington, DC that supports the financing of private sector infrastructure investment in developing countries. This is her fifth year with Many Hands. She has served on all four Focus Area Committees and on the Grants Committee.
Susan Sarver is a program officer with a national philanthropic organization, where she works to support community-based efforts to improve financial security, particularly among vulnerable populations. This is her second year with Many Hands. She has served on the Job Readiness and Membership Committees.
Many Hands Turns 15!
At the end of each grant cycle, we pause to reflect on what we did well and where we can improve. This year, that process took on particular meaning as we observed our 15th anniversary. Many Hands received 501(c)(3) status in March 2004 and made its first $100,000 grant that December. Since then, we have increased the total we award in each grant cycle by more than 150%; we have transitioned from making grants biennially to every year; and we have expanded from three focus areas to four.

As we look forward to the next 15years, we are committed to ensuring that Many Hands remains a leader in collective giving and an essential partner for local nonprofits. Over the summer, we made several changes to better support our members, the nonprofit community, and our fundraising goals.
Logo: We redesigned our logo to reflect our growth and maturation as a grantmaking organization while honoring our past. Our new logo builds on the idea of connection with two interlocking plus signs, tilted at an angle that suggests forward motion. To reflect our growing diversity and the diversity of our partner organizations and communities, it adds new hues to the dark blue and green color palette that we have used for many years.

We also removed the word "can" from our tagline. After making more than $1.6 million in grants since 2004, we now know, without qualification, "Together we make a difference."

Communications: To provide regular updates on what's happening at Many Hands, we will send an email newsletter monthly from September to May. Please add [email protected] to your Contacts to ensure that you receive our mailings. If you use Gmail, you may want to move our newsletters from Promotions to your Primary folder.

In addition, we have redesigned our website to be more useful and easier to navigate. Please visit us at manyhandsdc.org to see our new features, including detailed information about membership and an expanded list of Frequently Asked Questions. To get all the latest news from Many Hands, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Grant Management: To streamline the grant application and review process, we have adopted software developed by Foundant. We will provide training on this easy-to-use industry standard for all Focus Area Committee members. In addition, based on feedback from nonprofit applicants and Many Hands members, we have revamped our grant application to provide fuller and more timely information to our reviewers.

We are particularly grateful to our Sustaining Members for supporting these investments in Many Hands' future. To find out how you can become a Sustaining Member, please visit our website.
NEWS FROM OUR GRANTEES
New Endeavors Gets a New Ride
NEBW used its Many Hands grant to purchase this van in June 2019.
Over the summer, New Endeavors by Women purchased a 15-person van for residents of New Journeys II with their 2019 Many Hands Partner Grant. One of seven housing programs operated by New Endeavors, New Journeys II provides permanent supportive housing for women aged 55 or older who have experienced chronic homelessness. Convenient transportation will facilitate outings for residents, as well as essential tasks like trips to the grocery store.
Two Impact Grantees Featured in The Washington Post

Horton's Kids, the 2014 recipient of the Many Hands $100,000 Impact Grant, and A Wider Circle, which received the Many Hands $100,000 Impact Grant in 2010, were two of the four organizations highlighted in a recent article about back-to-school drives in The Washington Post. While school is now under way for most students across our region, needs persist year-round. To read more and find out how you can help, 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 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.