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Kara Shibiya is the director of impact grants at StriveTogether, where she leads the design and implementation of grantmaking strategies that fuel community-led efforts to improve outcomes for children and families. Her work ensures that philanthropic investments support progress across the cradle-to-career continuum and align with StriveTogether’s strategic vision to put more youth on a path to economic mobility. Kara works closely with StriveTogether network members to help them access resources, apply data and build capacity to create lasting change.

Kara has nearly twenty years of experience in institutional fundraising and grantmaking across the education and arts sectors. She has secured funding for organizations such as American Ballet Theatre, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Public Schools. Prior to joining StriveTogether, she served as Director of Grant Programs at ArtsWave — the country’s oldest united arts campaign — where she managed more than $10 million in annual grantmaking to support Greater Cincinnati’s creative sector. Her work helped grantee organizations connect their programming to broader community impact goals and deepen their ability to serve the region.

Kara earned a Master of Arts in arts administration from New York University, along with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Nonprofit Management Certificate from Northern Kentucky University. She serves on the board of Magnified Giving, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young people as philanthropists and agents of change. Kara was named to the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Forty Under 40 in 2019 and is an alumna of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s C-Change leadership program. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband, daughter and two mischievous dogs.