The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

handout \hand"out\, hand-out \hand"-out\n.
   1. money or an object given in or as in a charitable gesture;
      -- also used of government disbursements to individuals
      for welfare; as, government hand-outs to welfare clients.
      [PJC]

   2. a printed circular distributed gratis, usually for
      political or advertising purposes.
      [PJC]

   3. a printed statement distributed, usually to the news
      media.
      [PJC]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

handout
    n 1: an announcement distributed to members of the press in
         order to supplement or replace an oral presentation [syn:
         handout, press release, release]
    2: giving money or food or clothing to a needy person

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

64 Moby Thesaurus words for "handout":
   account, acquaintance, alms, alms fee, announcement, blue book,
   briefing, bulletin, charity, collection, communication, communique,
   contribution, data, datum, directory, dispatch, dole, donation,
   donative, enlightenment, evidence, facts, factual information,
   familiarization, gen, general information, guidebook,
   hard information, incidental information, info, information,
   instruction, intelligence, knowledge, light, mention, message,
   notice, notification, offering, offertory, pittance, presentation,
   press release, promotional material, proof, publication, publicity,
   release, report, sidelight, statement, subscription, the dope,
   the goods, the know, the scoop, tithe, transmission,
   votive offering, white book, white paper, word