Karen and her husband Jim Ansara make grants to end global poverty (primarily in Haiti) and to build resilient health care facilities in the developing world. In late 2008 Karen launched New England International Donors (NEID), a network of 140 globally focused philanthropists, foundations and impact investors from around the U.S. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Karen cofounded the Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation, now the Haiti Development Institute (HDI). In addition to MCE Social Capital, Karen serves on the boards of HDI, Build Health International, Groundswell International, and the Millennium Campus Network. A member of the Leadership Council for Oxfam America since 2003, Karen is a graduate of Wellesley College and Andover Newton Theological School with a certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership from Boston University in 2018.