The Tara Health Foundation is a grantmaking foundation that funds pro-abortion groups and abortion-rights-related causes. It was founded in 2014 by former Kaiser Permanente researcher Ruth Shaber, who is executive director and board chair. ^{1 2}

Programs

The Tara Health Foundation focuses its funding in five areas: domestic reproductive health, global health, gender lens investing, impact investing, and “other women and girls initiatives.” ³

The Foundation’s website provides several key examples of its models of funding “in action.” ⁴

Integrated Capital

The Foundation’s premier example of providing financial assets such as debt refinancing and grants is its involvement with Whole Woman’s Health, the abortion facility in Texas which challenged pro-life Texas laws at the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court ruled in favor of Whole Woman’s Health in 2016, but according to the Foundation the abortion center faced financial difficulties in light of the laws it fought. The Foundation helped refinance Whole Woman’s Health’s debt at a low rate and provided “an unrestricted grant” to the group’s nonprofit sister group to reopen an abortion center. ⁵

The Foundation provided $683,000 to Whole Woman’s Health through two financial vehicles. ⁶

Leveraging Assets

The Foundation’s premier example of using non-financial resources to support its agenda is its role as executive producer and a royalty-based investment in the documentary Birthright: A War Story. The documentary frames pro-life laws in U.S. states as attacks on women’s rights and a “resulting public health crisis,” according to the Foundation. ⁷ The total investments were $1,005,000 in a direct grant and $675,000 in investment. ⁸

“100 Percent” for Mission

Tara Health Foundation’s overarching goal of making left-wing reproductive health priorities public policy is always its goal for involvement and investment. Its premier example of this strategy is its equity in Cadence, a startup focused on making birth control accessible over-the-counter. Cadence seeks federal approval for one of its contraceptives, and the Foundation is involved with the entirety of Cadence’s business strategy. ⁹ The total amount of funding from the Foundation is $600,000. ¹⁰

Collaboration

The Foundation involves itself with outside organizations to help those groups meet goals. Its premier example of this strategy is a series of three grants provided to Planned Parenthood. Two of the grants were ordered toward research; the third was for increased corporate engagement, including hiring new staff. ¹¹ The total amount of funding is $3.54 million. ¹²

Abortion

In January 2023, Tara Health was one of several shareholders for RHIA Ventures to offer proposals towards the expansion of corporate responsibility for reproductive healthcare. These 31 proposals, of which Tara Health Foundation offered 5, were submitted in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022 that overturned the Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, which recognized a constitutional right to abortion.¹³ Dr. Ruth Shaber, founder and president of Tara Health Foundation, commented on the proposal by stating, “The Dobbs decision has dealt a terrible blow to the availability of reproductive health care. We’re calling on companies to do all they can to mitigate these impacts.¹⁴

Other Funding

Tara Health Foundation provided $4.8 million was provided by in 2015 to the Bay Area Research Consortium on Toxic Stress and Health. The money was used to research “how childhood adversity affects children’s health.” ¹⁵

The Foundation invested $4.1 million invested in Breckinridge Capital Advisors, an investment advisory firm with “municipal investments” which “examine and rank…gender wage gap, nutrition, medical care availability and sexual assault risks” for purposes of investing in “high-scoring counties…” According to the Foundation, Breckinridge prioritizes women-owned businesses in its corporate investments. The Foundation invested in Breckinridge because it broadens their scope of funding and due to the investment firm’s willingness to apply “a unique range of gender lens criteria.” ¹⁶

The foundation invested $2 million in the Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights portfolio through Merrill Lynch. The Foundation invested this money in approximately 30 companies at the advice of its wealth advisors at Merrill Lynch. ¹⁷

Tara Health provided $960,000 to Jacaranda Health for purposes of building maternity clinics in Kenya. Jacaranda Health has received one of three SafeCare Level 5 awards in Africa, and is involved in assisting women during and after pregnancy and abortion. The Foundation provided grants totaling $560,000 and an investment of $400,000.

Tara Health Foundation provided $250,000 to the abortion advocacy group NARAL in 2017 to help the group pressure American businesses to support abortion and abortion-related activism. ¹⁸

The Reproductive Health Investors Alliance (RHIA) received $6.7 million was provided to, a group which focuses on investment opportunities which push left-leaning priorities in reproductive health. The Foundation provided the money for research and to help RHIA’s infrastructure. ¹⁹

Tara Health Foundation pledged $20 million to a consortium of groups which aimed to provide free contraceptives to women on public college campuses in California. ²⁰

Other Programs

The Tara Health Foundation pushes its left-leaning agenda in a number of ways outside of its four “model” strategies. It launched a fellowship in 2018, and as of May 22, 2019 has had two fellows –feminist writer and researcher Iris Kuo and financial consultant Stasia Obremskey. Obremskey eventually received a position at RHIA. ²³

The Foundation also “supported” five reports and an interactive map, including $93,000 which was provided to the Wharton Social Impact Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. The reports focus on abortion and feminism. ²⁴

BigDatabase.com reports that the Foundation provided $25,000 in 2016 to the Everytown for Gun Safety organization, a gun control group. The environmental group Sustainable Environmentalism received $12,500 in 2015 and 2014, respectively. ²⁵

Funding

Tara Health Foundation tax returns show that the Foundation had assets totaling $83,206,441 and revenues which totaled $25,091,004 in 2017. ²⁶

The Foundation’s 2016 990 shows $77 million in revenues and $7,134,229 in expenses. Over $57 million was donated by Shaber to the Foundation. ²⁷ Much of Shaber’s wealth and the foundation’s endowment derived from her ex-husband David Hung, whom she divorced in 2013. ²⁹ Hung founded Medivation, which he sold to Pfizer for $14.3 billion in 2016. ³⁰

Shaber donated $10 million in 2014, which was virtually all of the Foundation’s revenue that year. ³¹ She donated all of the Foundation’s 2015 revenues of $1,003,082 million. ³²

Leadership

Ruth Shaber founded the Tara Health Foundation in 2014 after 24 years as a physician. She was previously the head of obstetrics and gynecology for Kaiser from 1997 to 2003 and founded a women’s health research component of Kaiser’s Northern California chapter. Before leaving, she served in other roles with Kaiser. She sits on the board of directors for Jacaranda Health and is on the Medical Advisory Committee for Planned Parenthood. ³³

Rivka Gordon is the board secretary for Tara Health Foundation. She sits on the Planned Parenthood National Medical Committee and is chief of staff for clinical care and innovation in the Kaiser Permanente Federation in California. ³⁴

Elise Belusa is in charge of Tara Health Foundation’s grantmaking. She has worked with multiple pro-abortion research groups, such as Ibis Reproductive Health. She worked internationally on “reproductive health research and service delivery” prior to coming to the Foundation. ³⁵

Ellen George oversees financial and administrative management at Family Philanthropy Advisors. She is the operations manager for the Foundation in addition to sitting on other organizations’ boards of directors. ³⁶

Emiko Higashi has a background in investment banking and has been involved in technology and venture capitalism. She founded two different firms and serves on several boards in addition to being the Foundation’s treasurer. ³⁷

1. The Tara Health Foundation, Our Story, Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/our-story/
2. The Tara Health Foundation, Ruth Shaber, M.D., Founder & President, Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/ruth-shaber-md-board-president-executive-director/
3. Tara Health Foundation, Our Model, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/our-model/
4. Tara Health Foundation, Our Model, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/our-model/
5. Tara Health Foundation, “Keeping a clinic’s doors open through debt refinancing,” Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/keeping-a-clinics-doors-open-through-debt-refinancing/
6. Tara Health Foundation, Whole Woman’s Health, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/whole-womens-health/
7. Tara Health Foundation, “Levering our financial and human capital as a film producer,” Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/investing-in-a-documentary-film-for-social-and-financial-returns/
8. Tara Health Foundation, “Women’s Doc, LLC,” Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/birthright/
9. Tara Health Foundation, “Equity investing to move the Pill over the counter,” Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/equity-investing-to-move-the-pill-over-the-counter/
10. Tara Health Foundation, “Cadence Health,” Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/cadencehealth/
11. Tara Health Foundation, “Innovative collaborations with Planned Parenthood,” Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/innovative-collaborations-with-planned-parenthood/
12. Tara Health Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/planned-parenthood-federation-of-america/
13. Ventures, Rhia. Shareholders file numerous proposals addressing access to reproductive health care for 2023 proxy ballots, January 24, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholders-file-numerous-proposals-addressing-access-to-reproductive-health-care-for-2023-proxy-ballots-301729616.html.
14. Ventures, Rhia. Shareholders file numerous proposals addressing access to reproductive health care for 2023 proxy ballots, January 24, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholders-file-numerous-proposals-addressing-access-to-reproductive-health-care-for-2023-proxy-ballots-301729616.html.
15. News Wise, “Research Consortium of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, UCSF, and the Center for Youth Wellness to Receive $4.8M Grant from Tara Health Foundation to Address Childhood Adversity,” November 19, 2015. Accessed May 21, 2019. https://www.newswise.com/articles/research-consortium-of-ucsf-benioff-children-s-hospital-oakland-ucsf-and-the-center-for-youth-wellness-to-receive-4-8m-grant-from-tara-health-foundation-to-address-childhood-adversity
16. Tara Health Foundation, “Breckinridge taxable sustainable gender lens fund,” Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/breckinridge-taxable-sustainable-gender-lens/
17. Tara Health Foundation, “Merrill Lynch women’s health & reproductive rights,” Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/merrill-lynch-womens-health-reproductive-rights/
18. Tara Health Foundation, “NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation,” Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/naral-pro-choice-america-foundation/
19. Tara Health Foundation, “Reproductive Health Investors Alliance,” Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/reproductive-health-investors-alliance/
20. State of Reform, Tara Health Foundation letter to California lawmakers, July 30, 2018. Accessed May 22, 2019. https://stateofreform.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Tara-Health-Foundation-Letter.pdf
23. Tara Health Foundation, About, Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/about-us/[/note] ²¹Tara Health Foundation, Iris Kuo, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/iris-kuo/[/note] ²²Tara Health Foundation, Stasia Obremskey, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/stasia-obremskey/
24. Tara Health Foundation, Community, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/community/
25. Big Database, Tara Health Foundation 2017 990 information, Accessed May 22, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/TARA%20HEALTH%20FOUNDATION-465645300.HTML
26. Big Database, Tara Health Foundation 2017 990 information, Accessed May 22, 2019. http://www.bigdatabase.com/Big-DB/USFoundation-profiles/TARA%20HEALTH%20FOUNDATION-465645300.HTML
27. 990 Foundation Center, Tara Health Foundation 2016 990, Accessed May 22, 2019. http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990pf_pdf_archive/465/465645300/465645300_201612_990PF.pdf
29. Gunther, Marc, “A doctor’s scientific approach to a grant maker’s investments,” January 8, 2019. Accessed May 22, 2019. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Doctor-Takes-Scientific/245393[/note] ²⁸UniCourt, “Ruth Shaber Vs. David T Hung (limited Scope Representation),” Last updated April 7, 2016. Accessed May 22, 2019. https://unicourt.com/case/ca-sfc-ruth-shaber-vs-david-t-hung-limited-scope-representation-325070
30. David Hung, LinkedIn page, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidhungmd/
31. 990s Foundation Center, Tara Health Foundation 2014 990, Accessed May 22, 2019. http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990pf_pdf_archive/465/465645300/465645300_201412_990PF.pdf
32. 990s Foundation Center, Tara Health Foundation 2015 990, Accessed May 22, 2019. http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990pf_pdf_archive/465/465645300/465645300_201512_990PF.pdf
33. The Tara Health Foundation, Ruth Shaber, M.D., Founder & President, Accessed May 21, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/ruth-shaber-md-board-president-executive-director/
34. Tara Health Foundation, Rivka Gordon, Board Secretary, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/rivka-gordon-board-secretary/
35. Tara Health Foundation, Elise Belusa, Strategy Officer, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/elise-belusa-msc-strategy-officer/
36. Tara Health Foundation, Ellen George, Operations Manager, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/ellen-george-operations-manager/
37. Tara Health Foundation, Emiko Higashi, Board Treasurer, Accessed May 22, 2019. https://tarahealthfoundation.org/emiko-higashi-board-treasurer/