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 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.
This funder makes about $4 million a year in grants, but also invests in public and private equity and debt of for-profit companies working in its areas of interest. The Tara Health Foundation is not accessible, but posts email addresses for some of its staff members on its website. It’s not particularly approachable, but reach out with general questions.
PROFILE: The Minneapolis-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,” with focus areas in “U.S. reproductive and maternal health, equitable workplaces and gender lens impact investing.”
Grants for Public Health
The Tara Health Foundation’s grants for public health center on reproductive health and prioritize the availability of birth control, pregnancy termination and high quality maternity care for all women. Recent grants have supported large national organizations including the Abortion Care Network, the American Society for Emergency Contraception, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the NARAL Pro-Choice American Foundation, Planned Parenthood and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.
Grants for Global Health
Although its grantmaking prioritizes U.S. reproductive health, the Tara Health Foundation has given to some global organizations in recent years. One grantee, Global Doctors for Choice, aims to “enhance women’s autonomy to control their reproductive lives and improve reproductive health outcomes.” The foundation has also given to Medicines360, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company that has developed and distributed low-cost intrauterine devices to underserved women around the world.
Grants for 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 aim to catalyze philanthropic support and investment in women’s causes. One recent grant supported Women Effect, an initiative of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania that creates opportunities for philanthropists and investors who prioritize women’s issues to network and collaborate. Another recent grant supported the Women of the World Endowment, which aims to “provide institutional financial support to accelerate the field of gender lens investing.” Grants have also supported the Women’s Foundation of California, the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi and the Women’s Law Project.
Grants for Work and Economic Opportunity
The Tara Health Foundation names equitable workplaces as a focus of its grantmaking, although this is a smaller area of giving. Recent grantmaking has focused on the engagement of consumers to influence corporate change. One grantee, As You Sow, created a Gender Equity Funds tool that helps both individual and institutional investors view investment vehicles through a gender equity lens. Another grantee, the Grab Your Wallet Alliance, helps consumers understand how the choices they make influence corporate culture and decisions. The foundation also supported a study by the Guttmacher Institute on sexual harassment in the global sexual and reproductive health rights field.
Other Grantmaking Opportunities
In addition to its grantmaking, the Tara Health Foundation invests in public and private debt and equity for for-profit companies that support the foundation’s goals and vision of gender and reproductive health justice. For-profit investment recipients include the medical devices manufacturers BloomLife and MobileODT and socially responsible investment companies including Calvert Investments and the Next Wave Impact Fund.
Important Grant Details:
The Tara Health Foundation makes about $4 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 in the areas of 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.
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