Kashif Shaikh

Kashif Shaikh is co-founder and executive director of Pillars Fund, a philanthropic organization.philanthropic organization that amplifies the leadership, narratives, and talents of American Muslims. 
Shaikh was born in New York City and moved to Cincinnati Kashif Shaikh 34 | Executive director | Pillars Fund when he was ten years old. A first-generation American Muslim, Shaikh’s parents immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. He grew up speaking Urdu and English. 
In late 2005, Shaikh moved to Chicago to work at United Way of Metropolitan Chicago where he developed engagement strategies for some of the organization’s largest corporate partners. 
In 2009, Shaikh began working as a program officerShaikh work at the McCormick Foundation where he managed a portfolio largely focused on education, workforce development and homelessness. He also oversaw the Foundation’s community partnerships Kashif Shaikh on Leadership that Re-frames the Narrative Around Muslim-Americans with the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Chicago Tribune. 
In 2010, while still at the McCormick Foundation, Shaikh co-founded A Fund to Support the Muslim American Community, Inside and Out Pillars Fund, a national philanthropic organization that invests in American Muslim leaders, organizations and storytellers.
In 2016, Shaikh left the McCormick Foundation to run Pillars Fund full-time as its first executive director. Pillars Fund has grown into one of the largest funders of Muslim issues in the United States. 
According to a 2017 Pillar articleA Secret Weapon In The Fight Against Islamophobia Innovative philanthropy enables impact that is greater than the sum of its parts
These Muslim Millionaires Want You To Think Of Philanthropy When You Think Of Islam of the organization: 
"Today, Pillars is emerging as a powerful, behind-the-scenes engine of Muslim activism, a secret weapon in the war against the multimillion-dollar “Islamophobia” industry."
Since its founding, Pillars has invested more than $5 million into organizations and initiatives that strengthen American Muslim communities, including by amplifying their stories. Contributors to the Pillars Fund include Pillar Partners American Muslim philanthropists and grantmaking institutions such as the Chicago Community Trust, Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Nathan Cummings Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, Democracy Fund, and Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
In 2017, Shaikh was named one of Crain’s Chicago ‘40 Under 40 His work at Pillars Fund has been featured by outlets such as The New York Times, NPR, and Fast Company These 7 social entrepreneurs are working to strengthen civic engagement. He has been named a Fellow by the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions and Neighborhood Funders Group Introducing the 2019-2020 Philanthropy Forward Fellows, New Profit Civic Lab Announcing New Civic Lab to Support Democracy Entrepreneurs, and Ambassadors for Health Equity Ambassadors for Health Equity
Shaikh earned a B.A. from Ohio State University and M.A. from Northwestern University. He lives in Chicago, IL
<youtube width="300" height="300">bzZ-cl-Qx4c</youtube>  
<youtube width="300" height="300">N93HxQWwY9E</youtube>
Category:Living people
Category:Ohio State University alumni
Category:Northwestern University alumni
Category:American business executives
Category:American businesspeople