Meet, Learn, and Give with Many Hands
MANY HANDS UPDATES
Fall Events: Restorative Justice and Children in Foster Care
The house was full for the 2020 grant cycle kickoff on October 17. Jodi Ovca (pictured at left), executive director of Access Youth, the 2019 Many Hands $100,000 Impact Grantee, spoke passionately about their work keeping DC youth out of the school-to-prison pipeline and why they believe in restorative justice, not punishment. Her words were a powerful reminder of the impact that Many Hands grantees have on families across the region every day.

Representatives of two other Many Hands grant recipients--Ann Marie Binsner, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/Prince George's County, and Lisa Dominguez, director of clinical services at Safe Shores--joined Dr. Sheryl Brissett Chapman, executive director of The National Center for Children and Families--at The Washington College of Law at American University on November 5 to address the challenges facing children in foster care.
In a wide-ranging discussion, moderated by Many Hands Board member Jill Rosenbaum Meyer, the panelists drew on decades of personal and professional experience to speak to the impact of adverse childhood experiences on children entering foster care, the interaction of race, class, and the foster care system, the special challenges facing youth aging out of foster care, and the potential implications of the 2018 Family First Prevention Services Act, which redirects federal child welfare funds to expand support for family preservation.

Both events exemplify what Many Hands offers members: a place to meet other women who are committed to making a difference in our community, opportunities to learn in depth about the challenges facing our region, and a powerful way to give for maximum impact. Thank you to all the Many Hands members and friends who joined us on these two evenings.
ISO Photographer, Videographer, SEO Wizard
It takes...many hands...to keep Many Hands running smoothly. As an all-volunteer organization, we rely on the talent and dedication of our members to manage all Many Hands operations, including grantmaking, event planning, finance, communications, and more. As a result, 100% of membership contributions go directly to grantees.

We are currently looking for volunteers for the following roles:

Event Photographer: Capture the spirit of Many Hands events and the warmth and engagement of our members in images for use in print and online.

Event Videographer: Film and edit footage from Many Hands events to preserve content for later use.

SEO Wizard: Optimize Many Hands website content and use tools like Google Analytics and Google Ads to help potential members and grant applicants find us online.

For more information, please email Communications co-chairs Tracy Ganti and Mary Kwak at [email protected].
What Does Many Hands Mean to You?
We want to know what inspires you about Many Hands! Tell us what Many Hands means to you, what you most enjoy about being a Many Hands member, or what motivates you to give. We feature member testimonials on our website, on Facebook, in printed materials, and in other channels to showcase the diversity and engagement of the Many Hands community and the value of becoming a member.
Application Window Closes November 15
If you know a nonprofit that may be interested in applying for a Many Hands grant, please let them know that our application window closes at 11:59 pm on Friday, November 15. All grant applications must be submitted through our online portal. Details on our eligibility requirements and application process are available at manyhandsdc.org/grants.

As a reminder, the Grants Committee will not meet this year, as we transition to an online grant management system. We thank Grants Committee veterans for their support and encourage them to make their gift by December 31 and sign up for a Focus Area Committee in January.
FIELD NOTES
Local Giving Matters
Many Hands supports smaller nonprofits based in our community because we have long believed that this is where we can have the greatest impact. Now a comprehensive report from the National Council of Nonprofits puts that impact into broader perspective.

While national organizations like The Nature Conservancy and Save the Children receive the lion's share of media attention, the typical nonprofit is community-based and serves local needs. Most nonprofits are also relatively small. Only three percent of 501(c)(3) charitable organizations have budgets of $5 million or more; 92 percent operate with less than $1 million a year.

These smaller nonprofits face growing challenges. Over the past 15 years, fewer households have been making charitable donations, and the amount contributed by small- and medium-gift donors has been declining. While wealthy donors focus on larger institutions, community-based organizations meeting local needs compete for a shrinking pool of smaller donations.

This is where Many Hands comes in. By promoting investment in local nonprofits, we not only help them provide essential services, but we also support the vital role they play in our communty as spaces "where Americans come together to solve problems," as promoters of civic engagement, and as engines of economic growth. To read more about how we all benefit from the work of nonprofits, download the report.
 
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.