Tara Health Foundation

What Tara Health Foundation does

Tara Health Foundation is a private, spend-out foundation founded in 2014 by Dr. Ruth Shaber with a 20-year limited life mandate, slated to close in December 2028. The foundation's corpus grew from $10 million at founding to approximately $82 million by 2024. It operates under a "100% Mission Alignment" thesis that aligns all institutional assets, including investments, governance, relationships, and grant dollars, in service of gender, economic, and racial justice, in deliberate contrast to the traditional 5% payout philanthropy model. Its programmatic surface spans four core approaches: mission-aligned impact investing (public equities, private equity, and shareholder advocacy), integrated capital (blending grants, low-interest loans, and equity), trust-based grantmaking, and a spend-out strategy that redistributes all remaining assets to a network of anchor organizations.

The foundation distributes capital through a concentrated anchor-organization strategy. Four anchor organizations have been seeded to carry the mission forward: Rhia Ventures (since 2018, leading private investment strategy), Orchid Capital Collective (birth equity), the Center for Business and Social Justice at BSR, and the Oasis Institute. These anchor organizations receive large, unrestricted, multi-year grants in the $6–$7.5 million range. Beyond anchor funding, the foundation deploys rapid-response grants to abortion access and reproductive justice organizations (e.g., nearly $4 million through the Abortion Movement Fund between 2022 and 2024), and forgives debt where partners face existential funding gaps ($1.5 million forgiven in 2024). The foundation also produces the Make Shift Happen blog and conversation series as thought-leadership infrastructure to influence the broader philanthropy sector.

Revenue is not generated commercially; the foundation is redistributing its endowment over a defined horizon rather than operating a perpetual endowment. There is no technology product, no AI/ML capability, no paid customer base, and no traditional pricing model. The foundation distinguishes itself from peer funders through three structural features: deploying 100% of assets (not just 5% annually) in mission-aligned ways, transferring not just dollars but relationships and convening power to community-rooted organizations, and documenting its spend-out journey transparently to influence peer funder practice.

Name

Tara Health Foundation

Legal name

Tara Health Foundation

Website

https://tarahealthfoundation.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Tara Health Foundation is a spend-out private foundation (founded 2014, closing December 2028) that redistributes its ~$82M corpus through 100% mission-aligned grantmaking, impact investing, and integrated capital to movement organizations advancing gender, economic, and racial justice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)

Keywords

• Grantmaking foundation
• Impact investing
• Integrated capital
• Trust-based philanthropy
• Spend-out foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Endowment Distribution: Tara Health operates as a spend-out foundation, distributing its entire endowment over a defined timeframe (closing December 2028) rather than maintaining perpetual operations. The foundation deploys its corpus through grants, impact investments, and integrated capital to movements for gender, economic, and racial justice.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tara Health Foundation is a private, spend-out philanthropy foundation that deploys its endowment through grants, impact investments, and integrated capital to movement organizations working toward gender, economic, and racial justice. It aligns 100% of its investments, governance, relationships, and grant dollars with its mission, seeding anchor organizations such as Rhia Ventures, Orchid Capital Collective, BSR Center for Business and Social Justice, and Oasis Institute to steward resources after its planned December 2028 closure.

Product overview

Tara Health Foundation operates as a single integrated philanthropy organization rather than a platform product. Its offerings are programmatic approaches centered on 100% Mission Alignment: these include an Impact Investing strategy (public and private markets), an Integrated Capital strategy (blending grants, loans, and equity), a Trust-Based Philanthropy approach, and a Spend Out Strategy that redistributes all assets by December 2028. The foundation seeds and stewards Anchor Organizations—Rhia Ventures, Orchid Capital Collective, the BSR Center for Business and Social Justice, and Oasis Institute—which carry forward the foundation's mission. The organization also produces the Make Shift Happen Blog and Conversation Series as thought leadership content documenting its transformation journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Make Shift Happen: A conversation series exploring how philanthropy can be transformed to shift power and resources toward gender, economic, and racial justice.

Products and services

• Impact Investing Investing that centers justice as a core investment principle, deploying capital in public equities, private equity, and shareholder advocacy to advance the foundation's mission while generating financial returns. Managed in partnership with Rhia Ventures.
• Integrated Capital A coordinated deployment of different capital types—grants, low-interest loans, equity, and more—tailored to meet the specific funding needs of partners and projects.
• Anchor Organizations Program New nonprofit organizations and programs seeded by Tara Health as foundational infrastructure for sustained movement building, including Rhia Ventures, Orchid Capital Collective, BSR Center for Business and Social Justice, and Oasis Institute. These organizations govern and steward transferred funds with full decision-making authority.
• Make Shift Happen Conversation Series A video conversation series distributed on YouTube and Spotify featuring leaders across philanthropy and social justice discussing power, resource shifting, and transformation in the sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mission-aligned public markets portfolio outperformed major benchmarks since 2015
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rhia VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRhia Ventures is Tara Health's first anchor organization, stewarding the private investment strategy since 2018. Founded by Ruth Shaber, Rhia works at the intersection of racial equity, women's health, and capital to drive systems change, innovation, and financial and social returns.
• Orchid Capital CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStewarding the remainder grantmaking dollars in the birth equity portfolio, Orchid Capital Collective invests in ecosystems where reproductive care, economy, and community meet. Former portfolio lead Tenesha Duncan founded the organization.
• The Center for Business and Social Justice at BSRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor organization working at the intersection of business and social justice, carrying forward Tara Health's commitment to systemic change.
• Oasis InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor organization focused on movement infrastructure and capacity building, developed as part of Tara Health's spend-out strategy.
• Justice FunderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner and guide for philanthropy reimagining practices that advance a thriving and just world. Tara Health uses their Just Transition for Philanthropy framework and participates in their Spend Out & Regeneration Convening and Community of Practice.
• Stupski FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer spend-out foundation; CEO Glen Galaich engaged in conversation with Tara Health's Elise Belusa about spend-out experiences and rapid response deployment.
• Grove FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder partner; Senior Program Officer Alicia Harris collaborated with Tara Health's Elise Belusa on Abortion Movement Fund and rapid response work.
• Trust-Based Philanthropy ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization led by Shaady Salehi (former Co-Executive Director) focused on advancing trust-based philanthropy practices across the sector.
• Kataly FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation moving resources to support economic, political, and cultural power of Black and Indigenous communities. CEO Nwamaka Agbo engaged in conversations about power-shifting and restorative economies.
• Adasina Social CapitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization creating innovative investment products seeking aligned social justice returns. Founder Rachel Robasciotti serves as Tara Health Board Chair. Adasina is both a past grantee and investee of Tara Health.
• If/When/HowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing wrap-around legal services for anyone facing criminalization for pregnancy, abortion, or birth. Co-Executive Director Mariko Miki featured in conversation about infrastructure investment during spend-out.
• Foust/Meeker team at Merrill LynchminorOthersInvestment advisory team at Merrill Lynch that helped build Tara Health's mission-aligned portfolio from inception, working on public markets investments.
• Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP)minorOthersConducted Tara Health's Grantee Perception Report to gather candid feedback on how the foundation showed up in alignment with its values.
• 1R ProductionsminorOthersProduction partner for video content and storytelling, including the Make Shift Happen video series.
• Langhum Mitchell CommunicationsminorOthersCommunications partner supporting documentation and sharing of insights from Tara Health's work.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: A large, established foundation with major programs in gender, racial, and economic justice — including BUILD and mission-related investment programs that Tara Health's approach mirrors at smaller scale.
• MacArthur Foundation: A large US foundation with substantial programs in equity, gender, and economic inclusion. Comparable in mission-aligned investing and progressive grantmaking posture, though at vastly greater scale.
• Open Society Foundations: A major progressive foundation with significant grantmaking in racial and gender justice. Its scale and breadth make it an incumbent reference point for the same movements Tara Health funds.

Direct peers

• Groundswell Fund: A public foundation that funds reproductive justice, LGBTQ, and racial justice movements. Directly comparable in target grantees (reproductive and gender justice orgs), use of rapid response and integrated capital, and movement-led grantmaking approach.
• Hill-Snowdon Foundation: A family foundation with comparable values, perpetual-to-spend-out trajectory considerations, and a similar focus on economic justice and movement-building. Comparable in size, structure, and progressive grantmaking orientation.
• Kataly Foundation: A spend-out foundation focused on economic, political, and cultural power of Black and Indigenous communities. Already a Tara Health peer, Kataly shares spend-out strategy, integrated capital deployment, and movement-justice grantmaking focus.
• Stupski Foundation: A spend-out foundation with a similar limited-life mandate and rapid response philanthropy approach. Tara Health's CEO has engaged publicly with Stupski CEO Glen Galaich on spend-out strategy, making them directly comparable in approach, scale, and stage.
• NoVo Foundation: A private foundation of similar size focused on gender equity, Indigenous communities, and social justice. NoVo's progressive grantmaking, integrated capital, and spend-down commitments make it one of the closest comparable foundations in scope and approach.

Emerging players

• Justice Funders: A philanthropy transformation intermediary whose Just Transition for Philanthropy framework and Spend Out & Regeneration Convening Tara Health actively participates in. Functions as a peer-network anchor for the spend-out movement Tara Health leads within.
• Trust-Based Philanthropy Project: An organization advancing trust-based philanthropy practices founded by a former Tara Health Co-Executive Director. Tara Health is a partner and active adopter; the project shares frameworks that Tara Health publicly models and amplifies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TaraHealthFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tara-health-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/tarahealthfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments2 records

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Frequently asked questions about Tara Health Foundation