Dan Sharpe is Vice President for Community Research and Grants Management at The Columbus Foundation. Sharpe joined the Foundation in 2006 and is an expert in community leadership and nonprofit effectiveness.

As Vice President, Sharpe oversees the development and implementation of grant policies, program priorities, and areas of strategic grantmaking for the Foundation. He leads the Community Research and Grants Management team, which interacts with the community’s nonprofit organizations, convenes community discussions around areas of greatest need, and participates in initiatives and partnerships to strengthen and improve the community.

Since joining the Foundation, Sharpe has served in multiple capacities of increasing responsibility as an associate, officer, and Director of Community Leadership and Nonprofit Effectiveness in Community Research and Grants Management.

In addition, he has supported the nonprofit community through capacity-building and innovation grantmaking, and led the Foundation’s Nonprofit Forum and Summer Fellowship programs. Previously, Sharpe managed digital media for the Foundation, and served as Project Manager for easyColumbus, an engagement and retention effort for regional college students.

In 2016, Sharpe was selected to participate in the Harvard Business School Executive Education Young American Leaders Program (YALP)—a program of the U.S. Competitiveness Project at the Harvard Business School. He is a graduate of Leadership Columbus and a past co-chair of the Create Columbus Commission.

A native of Bexley, Sharpe received his bachelor’s degree in politics and government from Ohio Wesleyan University and his master’s degree in public administration from the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University. He resides with his family in east Columbus.