Dear friend,

In the spirit of growth and transformation that characterizes the season, I am eager to share updates from our work in 2023, including developments in our efforts to spend down, reflections on our ongoing journey of shifting power and money, and exciting leadership changes that will shape our path forward. 

Tara Health’s pledge to spend down by 2030 is rooted in the belief that a true commitment to justice requires that systemically privileged institutions, like ours, let go of our unjust status, capital, and power, transferring these resources directly to the movements we were founded to serve.

In 2023, we transitioned from the planning stages to active implementation across our investment, programming, and communications work. We strengthened our commitment to 100% mission-aligned investing and trust-based philanthropic practices, providing unrestricted, general operating support to all of our 2023 grantee partners and anchor organizations: Orchid Capital Collective, The Center for Business and Social Justice at BSR, and the Oasis Institute. 

As we have advanced in our spend-down journey, the evolving needs of our work have prompted a thoughtful reevaluation and adjustment of our organizational structure. This necessary shift has meant parting ways with cherished team members who have significantly contributed to Tara Health's efforts.  At the same time, it has enabled us to invite in new staff who are well-suited to support the specific needs of our spend-down activities. 

It is in this spirit that I am thrilled to share a series of leadership transitions at the Tara Health Foundation. Michael Penn, MD, PhD, is stepping in as our new Board Chair, ready to guide the Board through the next phase of our strategic spend down. Alongside him, Elise Belusa, MSc assumes the role of Executive Director, bringing her deep understanding of our journey and commitment to our mission. Lastly, we warmly welcome Liza Trujillo Kirkland, MBA, to Tara Health as Associate Director, adding her extensive expertise in promoting racial equity and justice to our team. I am excited to continue as the President of the organization and will continue to lead special projects, including The Diverse Investing Collective. 

Looking ahead, we are eager to incorporate your insights into our storytelling and narrative work and to learn from your experiences moving money and power as outlined in the “exploring crucial questions” section below. 

I look forward to moving through this next chapter together, guided by the capable hands of our new leaders and fueled by our collective commitment to a more just and equitable world. 

With gratitude, 
Ruth 

Navigating the complexities of our spend-down journey has required us to grapple with weighty, unanswered questions that accompany our individual and collective work to let go of money, control, and power. Among these, a few stand out: 

  • How do we hold ourselves and one another accountable for sustaining the release of power? 

  • How do we address the constraints of established practices that act as barriers to the redistribution of power we seek to achieve? 

  • How do we reconcile our intent to influence the field of philanthropy with our commitment to letting go of our power and resources?

  • How do we honor the complex emotions that arise from this work with honesty and compassion? 

While we don’t claim to have all the answers, our journey over the past year has underscored the vital importance of trust and honesty in fortifying our enduring relationships and enabling us to face these questions head-on and with joy and collective purpose. 

We welcome the opportunity to hear from our community members who have thoughts, experiences, or insights related to these questions. We would be grateful to learn from you, and we welcome hearing from you here. 

Our strategy for spending down through grantmaking deepens our commitment to participatory grantmaking and trust-based philanthropy by relinquishing the foundation’s capital, power, and status to a group of anchor organizations. These organizations will then redistribute these resources to the movements they are dedicated to serving. 

  • Orchid Capital Collective is working to realize reproductive and economic justice by driving integrated capital to Black, Indigenous, Queer and Trans, and People of Color-owned ventures anchoring community development with transformative birth and reproductive care. 

  • The Center for Business and Social Justice at BSR is advancing social justice and equity by mobilizing and equipping companies to take a systemic and intersectional approach.

  • The Oasis Institute* is supporting and nourishing the worker and economic justice movement by offering resources towards the rest, healing, and well-being of movement organizers and leaders who work at the intersection of economic, gender, and racial justice. *Website coming soon. 

  • The remaining Reproductive Health and Religious Healthcare portfolio dollars have been allocated to support Black-led Reproductive Justice (RJ) initiatives and leadership, including the Race, Healing, and Joy project. This work uplifts, centers, and (re)authenticates the voices of Black folkx in the reproductive justice ecosystem and creates transformative, sustainable experiences of healing and joy for those closest to the issue.