2023 Many Hands $100,000 Impact Grant
Communities in Schools of the Nation’s Capital
2023 Many Hands Partner Grants ($70,000 each)
Child Resource Connect
Edu-Futuro
The Wanda Alston Foundation
2023 Grantmaking in Review
Many Hands leverages the power of collective giving to support nonprofits serving and empowering Washington, DC area women, children, and families in socioeconomic need. Since 2004, including the more than $300,000 in grants we announce today, Many Hands has granted more than $2.8 million to 46 nonprofit organizations.
All of this year’s grants are for unrestricted funding, also known as general operating support, in line with the commitment in our 2022-2025 strategic plan to balance responsible stewardship of contributed funds with best practices in trust-based philanthropy. As Board President Kathryn Zecca explained at last week’s Annual Meeting, “We trust our grantees to know the best way to do their work, and we aim to reduce the burdens on nonprofit growth, innovation, and progress.”
All 91 of our grant applicants this cycle are doing exceptional work to advance opportunity, empowerment, and equity across our region. We are humbled to have had the chance to learn about their impact and honored to partner with the four organizations that are receiving this year’s grants.
We are deeply grateful to Many Hands’ members and friends for making our grantmaking possible, both as donors and as volunteers. Of our nearly 250 members, more than 75 joined a Focus Area Committee this cycle, and many others served on the Financial Review and Membership Committees. Many Hands would not exist without the generosity, dedication, perspectives, experiences, and skills of the remarkable individuals who comprise our membership.
Join them—and us—now to support our 2024 grants. And please help us spread the word about the power of collective giving. Our members are our greatest ambassadors—share our emails, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, or send a friend to our website.
Together we make a difference!
2023 Many Hands $100,000 Impact Grant
The mission of Communities in Schools of the Nation’s Capital (CISNCAP) is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Incorporated in 2004, CISNCAP is the DC affiliate of the nation’s largest dropout prevention program, Communities in Schools, which has been successfully helping young people stay in school and transition to adulthood since 1977. During the 2022-23 school year, CISNCAP worked in ten DC public schools throughout Wards 5, 6, 7, and 8, reaching over 4,300 students and their families and providing intensive case management for more than 400 students.
Communities in Schools provides a unique model for putting students and families on a path to success. By placing dedicated staff members inside partner schools, CISNCAP is able to identify students at risk of dropping out. CISNCAP site coordinators work closely with school administrators to assess student needs, develop a support plan, and engage community partners and volunteers to address both academic and human service needs.
CISNCAP helps ensure that children feel safe and cared for and have secure access to shelter, food, clothing, and medical care. In addition, they support restorative justice programs, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs, after-school and lunchtime enrichment, family engagement, and resource clinics. The result is improved attendance, behavior, academic performance, retention rates, and graduation rates.
2023 Many Hands Partner Grants
The mission of Child Resource Connect (CRC) (formerly Prince George’s Child Resource Center) is to create healthy and nurturing environments for children by supporting their families and educating their caregivers. Through direct services for families, coaching for childcare providers, and collaboration with other public and private agencies, they work to ensure that children have a healthy start through maternal and child health services, access to first-rate childcare programs, safe and secure housing, and other crucial supports. The organization’s newly adopted name, Child Resource Connect, reflects the essence of their work: serving as a connector among individuals, organizations, and government agencies who seek to help families and caregivers build stable futures, create homes free from abuse and neglect, and prepare children to succeed in school.
The mission of Edu-Futuro is to break the cycle of poverty by empowering underserved Latino and immigrant youth and families through education, leadership development, parent engagement, case management, and workforce development. In Edu-Futuro’s two-generation approach to economic empowerment, the educational achievements of students motivate their parents, and in turn, youth are inspired by the economic progress of their parents. Edu-Futuro provides STEM, college discovery, and college support programs for students in grades 4+; workshops to strengthen families, especially after separation; and adult education and workforce development services to promote long-term financial stability. In 2023, Edu-Futuro will serve more than 3,400 students and their families throughout Northern Virginia.
The mission of The Wanda Alston Foundation (WAF) is to eradicate homelessness for LGBTQIA2S+ youth ages 18-24 and to ensure, through advocacy and programming, that they have access to services that improve their quality of life. The WAF is the only housing program in Washington, DC solely dedicated to offering pre-independent transitional living and support services to LGBTQIA2S+ youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness in all 8 wards. WAF programs include life skills training and links to other social services. Additionally, the Wanda Alston Counseling Center provides trauma-informed and culturally competent mental health services and support to LGBTQIA2S+ individuals in the DC area who are survivors of intimate partner violence and/or sexual assault.
