On Fostering a Holistic Approach to Impact
We spoke with Tara Roth, President of the LA-based nonprofit Goldhirsh Foundation, to uncover what drives her holistic and nuanced advocacy.
What’s Your Why is a series by The Anthem Awards team asking Judges and previous Winners to explore the guiding principles that have, and continue to, shape their journeys in social impact.
Social issues are deeply interconnected. A holistic and nuanced lens is vital to effect collective change. Goldhirsh Foundation leads in amplifying a range of causes through unique storytelling to elevate the voices of marginalized communities to the mainstream.
With a mission to empower human potential, their team provides financial, human and social capital to mission-driven initiatives across Los Angeles. Their work also brings different sectors across impact together to share knowledge and cooperatively innovate solutions.
We spoke with Tara Roth, Anthem Judge and President of the Goldhirsh Foundation, to explore what inspires their advocacy and the ethos that keeps them resilient on the path to systemic change. Take a close look at how she wields radical optimism and a hunger to change lives worldwide to lead this transformative organization.
Can you tell us a bit about the work you do? How long have you been working in social impact?
I’m the president of the Goldhirsh Foundation, a private family foundation based in Los Angeles that provides financial, human, and social capital to the groups we support. I oversee our grants, investments, programs, and operations. We have a strong ethic around design and media; we pride ourselves on being able to communicate difficult subject matter in an accessible, aspirational manner.
I made a shift from the private sector to the impact sector a while ago, first working at The NewSchools Venture Fund. I then held stints at the intersection of strategy, marketing, and impact for chef Jamie Oliver, at Participant Media, then by helping to launch GOOD as its founding COO. I carry those values forward into the work that we do with the Goldhirsh Foundation and our LA2050 initiative.
Why were you drawn to this cause or social issue? Do you have a memory or moment that sparked your interest?
When I was in my 20s, I had just started an MBA/MA in International Studies at Wharton. Although the program and my colleagues were stellar, it didn’t feel like the right fit for me. And in the way that the universe sometimes works, I became very sick. I had a pulmonary embolism that reset the course of my career because of my having to take time out to redirect the path that I had been pursuing. I was forced to think about the value of the present and one’s vitality and energy; it was that self-reckoning that compelled me to want to do more good in this world…and not wait to do it.
I was especially interested in elevating voices and forces about challenging issues that were not always heard or recognized. I thought that I had a unique vantage point to do so in a way that could resonate with mainstream audiences and constituent communities.
What background or lens do you bring to this space? How do they shape the way you tackle projects or initiatives?
When I first arrived in LA, I was struck by this mysterious, challenging, beautiful region of opportunity that offered so much potential in innovation and creativity. I saw civic idealism and community activity play out in ways that were truly novel.
LA continues to be on the pioneering edge of cultural and creative capital—cutting across so many different industries and sectors. I often say that ”LA is where the future comes to happen.”
“We try to piece things together and see where lessons from one industry may be able to inform and assist another. I strive to constantly bring a viewpoint and an energy to holistically and simultaneously uplift as many communities and as many issue areas as possible…”
Who do you do this work for? Which communities are you interested in uplifting through your projects and why?
One of the strengths of the Goldhirsh Foundation, LA2050, and the work that we do is that we get to look at a lot of different problems—and solutions—across multiple sectors (government/civic, private and nonprofit). We try to piece things together and see where lessons from one industry may be able to inform and assist another.
I strive to constantly bring a viewpoint and an energy to holistically and simultaneously uplift as many communities and as many issue areas as possible, with the resources that we have and those that we can influence. I also believe that work should be fun and engaging. We spend so much time with it, so I think that the other lens that I bring is trying to add and relish joy where darkness and hopelessness can sometimes linger.
In social impact, the work is long and the road isn’t easy. What is your North Star, principle or philosophy that keeps you going? What keeps you rooted?
“Service is the rent we pay for life on this Earth.” That’s a quotation I learned a long time ago that’s been attributed to both the trailblazing Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund. It’s stuck with me and underscores the way I try to approach my life.
Also, as for principles, collaboration is a big one. Everyone has something to offer or contribute. For instance, at LA2050 we have funding partners, outreach and media partners, a metrics committee, and youth ambassadors, not to mention our heroic grantees. These collaborations have helped nearly one million people actively engage with LA2050 during the past decade-plus, hailing from nearly every single Los Angeles County zip code, having agency in their futures and sharing a stake in what matters most to them.
Did you ever want to give up? How did you overcome that?
Absolutely! Look, my job isn’t challenging the way the work is of those we support on the frontlines of social or environmental change—but we all get weary.
That’s when I pull out the book, “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones,” by James Clear. It’s the “Wake up, kick ass, repeat” perseverance that we all need to make a difference.
Can you share three bodies of work that inspire your own?
- “The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz—such simple advice and rules to live by.
- “Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion” has served as such an inspiration many times over, personally and professionally
- The artist Faith Ringgold—what a rich body of work inspired by poetry, history, and music—so prolific. I first learned about her from a story quilt project in my younger son’s summer art class. The juxtaposition of his radically different life experience from hers struck me as to how welcoming, collaborative, and unifying art can be, irrespective of apparent contrasts. We can all use more of that!
Interested in celebrating your impact work at The Anthem Awards? Please reach out to marycharles@anthemawards.com for more information.
