Makkah works with the Grants Management team to enhance the applicant and grantee user experience, advise on grantmaking best practices, and support a culture of learning and continuous improvement at the Foundation.
Makkah has dedicated her career to helping teams effectively execute their missions while centering care, connectivity, and radical compassion and curiosity in how they operate. She has worked to unlock resources for chronically underfunded communities and transform organizations from the inside out to more equitably and joyfully meet the needs of the people they serve. Prior to joining MacArthur, Makkah held various leadership roles at the El-Hibri Foundation, Arabella Advisors, and Borealis Philanthropy where she worked at the intersection of operational excellence, social impact, and strategic philanthropy.
Makkah received a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Justice studies from Wellesley College, and a Master of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. She was an inaugural fellow of Rockwood Leadership Institute’s Equity in Philanthropy fellowship and is an alumna of the nine-month Coaching for Healing, Justice, and Liberation Certification Program.
Since 2020 Makkah has served on the board of directors for the Crossroads Fund, a community foundation supporting grassroots organizations in Chicago working toward social change. She is also a member of Chicago Foundation for Women’s South Side Giving Circle and a volunteer with Market Box, a mutual aid project that sources food from small farms and distributes it for free across the South Side of Chicago. For five years, Makkah co-hosted the critically acclaimed podcast Identity Politics which featured new stories and perspectives on race, gender, and Muslim life in America.