Tara Health Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Tara Health Foundation mainly supports organizations involved in reproductive health and rights in the U.S. Its other grantmaking interests include women and girls, workplace equity and ethical investing.
IP TAKE: Most of this ambitious funder’s grantees are national organizations involved with reproductive rights and increasing access to women’s healthcare services. The foundation has also made grants to international organizations supporting women’s reproductive rights, as well as organizations working toward workplace equity, corporate responsibility and ethical investment practices. New York and California are particular centers of giving.
However, this funder is not as accessible to grassroots organizations which may lack the ability to provide measurable returns on this funder’s investments. Tara Health wants to magnify the impact of its work through grantees that can scale. It leverages everything it has – from human capital to funding – behind its grantees in order to broaden the scope of reproductive philanthropy. This funder uses a gender-lens impact investing approach across its giving, which is important to note because it means this funder appreciates measurements of impact and success to gauge grantees’ success. As a result, your work and application should provide science-based methods that offer measurable “social and financial returns.” If your reproductive health work is not tied to peer-reviewed science, you will not have success here in getting a grant.
This funder makes about $8 million a year in grants, as well as investing in public and private equity and debt of for-profit companies working in its areas of interest. Another important thing to note about this funder is that it appreciates collaboration. For this funder, collaboration means it works closely with your organization to measure results, but also provide feedback on what’s working or not. This highly dedicated funder puts all of its weight behind your work to help advance this field of philanthropy.
Overall, this is not an accessible funder, preferring a proactive approach to its grantmaking. But, if you’re a larger organization, introduce your work by phone or email to get on its radar. Call first to learn more and network with their previous grantees to learn how they got on Tara Health’s radar as well.
PROFILE: The California-based Tara Health Foundation was founded in 2014 by Dr. Ruth Shaber, an obstetrician and gynecologist who served as the medical director of the Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute from 2007 until 2012. Shaber also established Kaiser Permanente’s Women’s Health Research Institute and co-founded Rhia Ventures, an organization that works to improve and expand women’s reproductive health in the U.S. The Tara Health Foundation aims to “improve the health and well-being of women and girls through the creative use of philanthropic capital.” Their areas of focus include: Birth Equity, Corporate Engagement, Global Impact, a Pooled Fund, Reproductive Health & Religious Healthcare, and Workplace Equity.
This foundation conducts all of its grantmaking through a reproductive equity lens that focuses predominantly on supporting vulnerable women and girls through quality healthcare and economic empowerment. As a result, each of its programs benefits women as health and economic development work together to improve women’s outcomes.
Grants for Reproductive Health and Equity
The Tara Health Foundation’s grants for birth equity center on prenatal, birthing, and postpartum reproductive health for Black women. Recent grants support organizations such as Birth Center Equity, Breath of My Heart Birthplace, California Breastfeeding Coalition, Midwifery Funders Group, and National Association to Advance Black Birth. Other grantmaking efforts have focused on access to abortion, for organizations such as Abortion Care Network and Partners in Abortion Care.
Grants for Economic Development, Women and Girls
In addition to the foundation’s focus on women and girls’ reproductive health and rights, Tara Health also makes women’s economic empowerment grants. Recent grantmaking for women and girls has supported several national and international organizations that work to catalyze philanthropic support and investment in women’s causes. One recent grant supported Marshall Plan for Moms (now “Moms First”), an organization that seeks to create corporate and other policy changes to support economic equality for mothers. Another recent grant supported the National Partnership for Women and Families. Their decades-long efforts regarding health justice and economic justice for women and families have resulted in legislative changes supporting women and girls.
The Tara Health Foundation names equitable workplaces as a focus of its grantmaking, although this is a smaller area of giving. Recent grantmaking focused on the engagement of consumers to influence corporate change. Recent grantees include Center for Public Integrity, National Black Worker Center, and WorkIt Labs.
Important Grant Details:
The Tara Health Foundation makes about $8 million a year in grants to nonprofit organizations. The foundation’s average grant size is about $100,000. This funder tends to work with large, national organizations towards reproductive health, women’s causes and equitable investing.
The Tara Health Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications for funding. Profiles and email addresses for some of the foundation’s staff members are provided on its team page. General inquiries may be submitted to the foundation via email at info@tarahealthfoundation.org.
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