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

Laney Whitcanack (she/her)
Coro Northern California
Laney Whitcanack (she/her) serves as the CEO of Coro Northern California. Under Laney’s leadership, Coro has created more than twenty new programs and partnerships, training thousands of leaders across Northern California. With more than two decades of experience as a social impact leader in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors, Laney has a rich history with Coro and is a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. Before returning to Coro as CEO, Laney was a founder and executive in the tech sector and worked as the Special Assistant to the City Attorney of San Francisco, Louise Renne. Laney received the Jefferson Award for Public Service and frequently speaks and writes about leadership and value visibility. 

​Laney joined the Community Panel in 2024.