Tara Raju

Director of Philanthropic Partnerships

Tara Raju joined Rose Community Foundation in March 2023. In her role as director of philanthropic partnerships, Raju develops new relationships for Rose Community Foundation with prospective donors, donor-advised fundholders, nonprofit fundholders, and other philanthropic partners.

Raju brings over 20 years’ experience working in k-12 school settings, higher education and community organizations in a variety of cities including Philadelphia, Portland, OR, Chicago, and the metro Denver area. Most recently, she was the education director at the Mountain States Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League since 2005. She led ADL’s education department which focused on anti-bias education and Holocaust education for community organizations, education institutions and law enforcement agencies in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. Prior to ADL, Raju was the Director at Facing History and Ourselves office in Denver and was the first director of operations at Communities In Schools (CIS) in Chicago, as well as a national CIS trainer. She worked with Chicago Public Schools to create systemic change and a comprehensive approach to better serve schools and communities through collaboration and partnerships. She has also worked in higher education at Reed College and the University of Pennsylvania, using traditional and experiential learning to teach leadership, diversity, skills for activism and social responsibility. Currently, she is active with Adams 12 Five Star Schools District Accountability Committee and on the board of the International Bully Prevention Association.

Tara holds a masters in social work with a social and economic development specialization from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in African and Afro-American Studies and Political Science from Washington University, St. Louis. She enjoys the outdoors & traveling, theater (especially musicals), watching college basketball, crying/ laughing at good movies/tv, walking her dog, and having quality time and new experiences with her family.