The Hellman Foundation is deeply committed to community centered approaches grounded in the values and practices of trust-based philanthropy and participatory grantmaking. In 2022, with a goal to advance community leadership and cede grantmaking power to local Bay Area leaders, the Hellman Foundation team created a Community Panel to collaboratively review proposals and determine funding recommendations. We continue to learn from, evolve, and apply our Community Panel model, which has already strengthened the impact of our collective work.
Community Panel
Jamila Janakiram (she/her)
IDEO
IDEO
Jamila Janakiram (she/her) designs systems that help people grow and helps institutions better support the communities they serve. Her work focuses on expanding access to opportunity across education, workforce development, and community wellbeing, creating learning programs, organizational practices, and inclusive systems that strengthen belonging and translate good intentions into meaningful outcomes. Jamila began her career in the nonprofit sector, working in human rights and education organizations focused on increasing opportunity for first-generation and low-income students. She later moved into education technology to take a more systems-oriented approach to expanding access to learning resources. She joined the edtech company Clever as an early employee, helping grow the organization from 5 to 150 people while leading People Operations and designing the systems that shaped its culture.
At IDEO, Jamila has worked across K–12, higher education, workforce development, and organizational culture change. Her work has included designing more accessible pathways for working adults in higher education, helping companies recognize lived experience—not just four-year degrees—as a source of talent and capability, creating community-building tools for elementary students, and helping managers at a major tech company become more inclusive leaders. She also co-designed and later led IDEO’s Racial Justice Impact Fund, partnering pro bono with national nonprofits advancing racial equity initiatives across the country.
Grounded in deep, human-centered research and systems thinking, Jamila brings a practical and compassionate lens to complex social challenges. Outside of work, she loves dancing, exploring the Bay Area through food, and making crafts with her daughters.
Jamila joined the Community Panel in 2026.
At IDEO, Jamila has worked across K–12, higher education, workforce development, and organizational culture change. Her work has included designing more accessible pathways for working adults in higher education, helping companies recognize lived experience—not just four-year degrees—as a source of talent and capability, creating community-building tools for elementary students, and helping managers at a major tech company become more inclusive leaders. She also co-designed and later led IDEO’s Racial Justice Impact Fund, partnering pro bono with national nonprofits advancing racial equity initiatives across the country.
Grounded in deep, human-centered research and systems thinking, Jamila brings a practical and compassionate lens to complex social challenges. Outside of work, she loves dancing, exploring the Bay Area through food, and making crafts with her daughters.
Jamila joined the Community Panel in 2026.