SPEND OUT: APPROACH
We’re spending out by 2030, redistributing all our wealth and resources to advance gender, economic, and racial justice.
What is Spend Out Philanthropy?
Spending out (also called spending down, limited-life philanthropy, or sunsetting) means a foundation deliberately distributes all of its assets within a defined timeframe, rather than operating in perpetuity (the traditional model where foundations exist forever, giving away only a small percentage each year).
For Tara Health, spending out by 2030 means we can fully resource today’s movements for gender, economic, and racial justice, rather than preserving our institution at their expense.
This isn't just about moving more money faster—it's about reimagining what's possible when philanthropy truly shifts the flow of resources and power.
Our Spend Out Strategy
Our spend out weaves together four interconnected strategies:
Seeding New Futures:
The Anchor Strategy
Through deep collaboration with movement leaders and on-the-ground advisors, we seeded four anchor organizations to carry forward the work of our grantmaking portfolios:
Rhia Ventures reimagines how capital serves reproductive justice and health equity
Orchid Capital Collective redirects capital for transformative birth care
Oasis Institute builds creative solutions for belonging rooted in justice
Inclusive Business at BSR mobilizes corporate power for justice
Together, these anchors steward our remaining grantmaking resources through substantial, multi-year, unrestricted grants.
Human Capital: Transferring Knowledge and Relationships
Our program officers followed the resources, becoming part of the anchor organizations they seeded, bringing their relationships and lived experience with them.
By investing in our people as long-term movement leaders, we ensure that institutional knowledge, networks, and the intangible threads of connection remain woven into the work. This human infrastructure makes transformation sustainable beyond any single institution's lifespan.
100% Mission Alignment (Again)
In 2022, we adopted a new mission explicitly centering racial justice alongside gender equity. Our board has led the transformation of our investment portfolio to reflect this evolution, ensuring all our resources—not just grants—are aligned with gender, economic, and racial justice, with full liquidation by 2030.
Philanthropic Transformation — Together
Relationships are a site of transformative change. We know this because we didn’t get to this point on our journey alone; all along the way, we relied on our peers in philanthropy and beyond to serve as sounding boards and resources, challenging us with different ways of thinking and doing, while supporting us through the tough moments of trying something new.
In our final years, we’re committed to offering that same support to other funders– inviting them into relationships of community and mutual support. We share our stories with the hope that others see themselves in the vulnerability, challenge, and progress of subverting the norms of philanthropy—and step into this work with us.
Dig deeper with these Make Shift Happen episodes
Episode 3 | Spending out: Meeting the Moment in 2025
How do spend out foundations stand apart in a moment and landscape marked by retreat and fear?
In Episode 3 of our Make Shift Happen series, Elise Belusa, Executive Director of Tara Health Foundation, speaks with Glen Gailach, CEO of the Stupski Foundation, to explore different ways spend out foundations can move with intention in challenging times.
Episode 4 | Spending out: The Critical Role of Infrastructure Investment
How has the movement toward spend out philanthropy impacted the organizations that receive funding?
In Episode 4 of our Make Shift Happen conversation series, Mia Reilly, Director of Engagement Strategy at Tara Health Foundation, sits down with Mariko Miki, Co-Executive Director of If/When/How, a national nonprofit that provides legal help to people facing criminalization for pregnancy, abortion, or birth.
