Kashif Shaikh is the Co-Founder and President of Pillars Fund, an organization that invests in and amplifies the talents, narratives, and leadership of American Muslims. Kashif has grown Pillars from a volunteer-led organization to a fully-staffed organization whose work has been covered by The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and Fast Company, among others. To date, Pillars has invested over $6 million in nonprofits working with and alongside American Muslim communities and is a leading voice in the field of philanthropy and the important role it plays in empowering vulnerable communities.

Prior to launching Pillars, Kashif was a Program Officer at the McCormick Foundation where he helped manage a portfolio of over $20M and scale a variety of Chicago nonprofits. He began his career at the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago.

Kashif holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Ohio State University and a Master’s Degree from Northwestern University.