For Applicants
As the oldest and largest giving circle in the Washington, DC area, Many Hands has granted more than $3.8 million since 2004 to local nonprofits serving women, children, and families in socioeconomic need. We make four grants each year, one in each of four focus areas: economic empowerment, education, health, and housing. In 2026, the Impact Grant was $100,000 and each Partner Grant was $73,000 All grants provide unrestricted funding, which may be used for operating, program, or capital expenses.
To read about past Many Hands grant recipients, click here.
Important Dates and Deadlines for Applicants – 2027 Grant Cycle
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Tuesday, December 1, Applications are open for preview
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Tuesday, December 15, 10:00 am, Applicant Webinar (Virtual)
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Monday, January 4, 9:00 am, Applications open
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Friday, January 15, 12:00 am midnight, Applications close
Grant applications must be submitted electronically, using the Foundant(TM) platform. You may create an account or use your password if you have previously created an account.
2027 Grant Review Process
The Many Hands grant review and selection process is member driven. All applications will be evaluated and considered carefully. The entire review process takes approximately four months. At any point in the review process, applicants may be contacted by a Many Hands member for clarification and/or additional information. Applicants will be notified if their proposal is not forwarded to the next level of review.
At Many Hands, we greatly appreciate the time and effort expended in submitting an application for funding, and we review all applications with care. We regret that we are unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications. We welcome suggestions for improvements to our grants process at grants@manyhandsdc.org.
Eligibility Review
Through January 31, 2027
Applications are reviewed against the eligibility requirements and to ensure that applicants are considered in the appropriate focus area.
First Level Review
Mid-February through late March 2027
Many Hands member Focus Area Committees review and discuss the merits of each application.
Site Visits and Financial Review
April 2027
Each Many Hands Focus Area Committee will invite up to five applicants to host a site visit for Many Hands members. All applicants receiving site visits will be asked to submit updated financial information and answer any final questions from the Financial Review Committee. In recognition of the time and effort required to prepare for and host a site visit, all applicants that host a site visit and have successfully satisfied financial review (other than the four finalists for 2027 grants) will receive a stipend of $1000.
Funding Decisions
May 2027
Each Focus Area Committee will select one grant recipient. At the Many Hands Annual Meeting, each grantee will make a brief presentation and answer questions from Many Hands members. Following the presentations, a vote of the Many Hands membership will determine the recipient of the Impact Grant of at least $100,000. The remaining grantees will receive Partner Grants, the amount of which will be determined prior to the Annual Meeting.
Grant Disbursement
Late May to early June 2027
Grants will be disbursed in a single payment following the execution of a grant agreement. Grant recipients will be asked to participate in Many Hands communications efforts.
Many Hands is committed to serving and empowering Washington, DC area women, children, and families in socioeconomic need by supporting strongly aligned community nonprofits. Without exception, applicants that do not meet all eligibility requirements will not be considered.
Eligibility Requirements
Population Served:
- Many Hands grant funds must be used to serve women, children, and/or families in socioeconomic need.
- Many Hands grant funds must be used to serve only residents of the Many Hands service area, which includes:
- District of Columbia
- Montgomery County, MD
- Prince George’s County, MD
- Arlington County, VA
- Fairfax County, VA
- City of Alexandria, VA
- City of Fairfax, VA
- City of Falls Church, VA
Applicant Organization:
- The organization must have 501(c)(3) status at the time of application.
- The organization must have been in operation as a 501(c)(3) for at least five years.
- The organization must have an established operating budget of at least $500,000 and no more than $5 million, based on the current-year budget and total expenditures in the previous fiscal year.
- The applicant organization must be located in the Many Hands service area. It must have a local office, have an independent budget for operations in our service area, and a local board of directors with fiduciary responsibilities.
- The organization must be secular and non-partisan in mission and program and must not promote or compel political or religious participation or affiliation.
Special Considerations:
- Recipients of the Many Hands Partner Grant in 2026 are ineligible to apply in the 2027 grant cycle.
- Any organization that has received $100,000 or more in total Many Hands funding is ineligible to apply for additional funding.
Many Hands supports local nonprofits that serve women, children, and families in socioeconomic need. For our internal review purposes, we group our applicants into four focus areas: economic empowerment, education, health, and housing.
We recognize that many of our applicants have programs that achieve outcomes in more than one area. For each application, we select the focus area that best aligns with the applicant organization’s mission and overall programming, ensuring that similar applicants are grouped and reviewed together.
Our review committees do not evaluate applications for how well they “fit” into their assigned focus area, but look more broadly at how they align with Many Hands’ mission to serve and empower women, children, and families in socioeconomic need.
The 2026 grant cycle application is now closed.
We will begin accepting applications for the next grant cycle in January 2027. Join our mailing list to receive updates on Many Hands’ grant process.
Because of you, women are getting jobs, learning new skills, improving their health, achieving financial stability, and ending their homelessness for good.
Funders like Many Hands are so respected. The stamp of approval of Many Hands is wonderful!
Thank you, Many Hands DC, for believing in the strength of kinship care. This support will expand access to free legal help, vital resources, and dedicated advocacy for the relatives who step up when children need them most.
Support from Many Hands is truly transformative for Access Youth. Because of this grant, Access Youth is launching our peer mediation programming as part of our four-year model of student support.
Many Hands’ investment in our work means we have a small army of committed, connected, and caring women who are rooting for us, helping us, and sharing our work far and wide.
Many Hands’ support enabled more girls to access the resources, mentorship, and opportunities they need to build confidence, achieve their goals, and create brighter futures. We are deeply grateful for their partnership and shared commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders.
We were able to use the money to fund projects that we had wanted to do for so long, but did not have the funding. A grant of this size had a significant impact on the lives of our children and their families!
Thanks to this critical grant, our beneficiaries can go from working long hours in multiple low-paying jobs to make ends meet to building a family-sustaining career that leaves them time to spend with their loved ones.
Many Hands’ investment is helping AfriThrive turn healthy, culturally meaningful food into better health, greater dignity, and stronger communities. Their partnership is creating lasting change for immigrant and refugee families across Montgomery County.
Your generous support of our mission has been absolutely crucial during this time of economic uncertainty and anticipated cuts to local and federal dollars. It has allowed us to continue to partner with and impact the the lives of the women and children we serve; to provide them a home and support to grow and create new futures.
This support will enable DC Greens to sustain our life-changing Food Is Medicine work for DC Medicaid patients. It will also allow us to continue our innovative work at The Well at Oxon Run, our urban farm and wellness space in Ward 8. This grant will be leveraged alongside hundreds of volunteer hours and community-driven investments to create meaningful and lasting impact for our neighbors.
Many Hands has helped us jumpstart the boldest initiative in our 25-year history of serving communities. Their support is fueling innovation at the intersection of equity, maternal wellness, and workforce development — empowering young mothers of color and their children to thrive. This grant is more than funding; it’s a catalyst for generational change, and we are deeply grateful.
Your grant allowed us to stay in [Stanton Elementary School]. It was because of your commitment to collective giving and your understanding of the value of trust-based philanthropy that I was able to make decisions that allowed us to continue to serve the community.