On November 19th, Goldhirsh Foundation President Tara Roth discussed the Foundation’s approach to funding social innovation in Los Angeles. Named one of LA’s “Most Inspiring Women” by Los Angeles Magazine, Tara Roth is the president of the Goldhirsh Foundation, a $65 million dollar foundation that supports social innovation in Los Angeles. Under Tara’s leadership, the Goldhirsh Foundation has spearheaded the LA2050 initiative that drives and track progress toward a shared vision for the future of LA. The largest activity of LA2050 is the My LA2050 Grants Challenge, a $1 million crowd-sourced program in which more than 100,000 Angelenos vote online on proposals aimed at improving LA.
Prior to this role, Tara bridged the worlds of marketing, media, and philanthropy as the founding COO of GOOD and a social strategy advisor. Tara began her career in marketing and business development for NBCInternet and Infoseek. She has worked with organizations such as Participant Media, Fifteen Foundation, and the New Schools Venture Fund. As a senior advisor to GOOD, Tara helped launch the Pepsi Refresh Project and GOOD Corps.
Tara received a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University and has an MBA from Oxford University where she was awarded a Skoll scholarship in social entrepreneurship. Tara serves on the board of Southern California Grantmakers and the USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy and on the regional advisory boards of Opportunity Fund, FUSE Corps, and 826LA. She is a Senior Fellow at USC’s Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab. Tara and her work have been featured in media outlets and at events such as the BBC News Business Matters, KCRW, LA Magazine, Southern California Public Radio, LA Business Journal, Vator TV, the Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, the Milken Institute California Conference, and the C-Suite Quarterly investor conference.