Dare Foundation

The DARE Foundation is a private family foundation based in Palo Alto, California, established by Zack Rinat — founder and former CEO of Model N (NYSE: MODN), a revenue management software company — and his wife Orli Rinat, a full-time philanthropist. The foundation was granted tax-exempt status in May 2020 (EIN 83-1471194) and manages approximately $16.5 million in assets as of its most recent filing. The name DARE reflects Rinat's personal philosophy; he was recognized as a White House Champion of Change under the Obama administration for his accomplishments as an immigrant entrepreneur. The foundation operates with a lean, all-volunteer leadership structure: Zack Rinat serves as President, Orli Rinat as Chairman, and John Buoymaster as CFO, none of whom receive compensation. With $956,414 distributed across 45 grants in 2024, the foundation maintains a disciplined payout rate of approximately 5.8% of assets. The DARE Foundation explicitly states it only funds organizations chosen by its board and does not accept unsolicited grant applications, making it a classic donor-directed private foundation. Organizations seeking funding should focus on cultivating direct relationships through Bay Area Jewish community networks, the Oshman Family JCC, and shared-interest organizations in Israeli democracy, Jewish education, and arts programming.

The DARE Foundation distributed $956,414 across 45 grants in fiscal year 2024, up from $788,965 across 39 awards in 2023 and $552,706 in 2019 — reflecting steady growth in charitable output. The grant portfolio is heavily concentrated: a single $400,000 allocation to the DARE Donor Advised Fund represents 42% of total giving, followed by $125,000 to SOREK (Berkeley, CA) and $100,000 to the Foundation for Jewish Camp (New York). Below these anchor grants, the median grant size is approximately $4,000, indicating a long tail of smaller community-level grants. The foundation's grantmaking spans a broad geographic range — Bay Area, New York, Israel — but is thematically cohesive around Jewish community life, Israel-diaspora relations, and cultural enrichment. Notable recipients include the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center ($23,000), Israel Democracy Fund ($25,000), Abraham Initiatives ($20,000), Shalom Hartman Institute ($20,000), Burning Man Project ($20,000), and Chakara ($50,000). Over its six-year history, the foundation has made 254 total grants, all categorized as general-purpose support rather than restricted program grants, suggesting a trust-based philanthropy approach that gives grantees maximum flexibility. Revenue in 2024 totaled $991,603, derived from interest ($325K), dividends ($358K), asset sales ($92K), and other income ($216K), making the foundation financially self-sustaining without requiring additional contributions from the founders.

The DARE Foundation operates within a cohort of mid-size Silicon Valley family foundations with Jewish philanthropic focus. Here is how it compares to regional peers:

Within this peer set, the DARE Foundation is notably smaller in assets and giving volume but operates with the lowest overhead (zero compensation) and highest concentration of trust-based, unrestricted giving. Unlike Koret and Taube, which employ professional staff and accept applications, DARE functions as a pure donor-directed vehicle. Its 5.8% payout rate exceeds the IRS-required 5% minimum, indicating genuine charitable intent rather than mere compliance. The foundation's growth trajectory — from $553K in giving (2019) to $956K (2024) — shows increasing philanthropic ambition even as assets declined from their 2019 peak of $19.4M to $16.5M, suggesting the Rinats are prioritizing impact over asset preservation.

The DARE Foundation's most recent Form 990-PF was filed on November 14, 2024, covering fiscal year 2024. The filing shows total assets of $16,512,503 and charitable disbursements of $956,414 — the highest giving level in the foundation's six-year history. The foundation's asset base has moderated from a peak of $19.4 million in 2019 to the current $16.5 million, likely reflecting both market fluctuations and the cumulative effect of charitable distributions exceeding new contributions. Investment income remained healthy at approximately $683K from interest and dividends. The 2024 grant list of 45 awards represents a meaningful increase from 39 awards in 2023, suggesting the foundation is broadening its grantee base rather than concentrating into fewer, larger grants. The largest single allocation — $400,000 to the DARE Donor Advised Fund — indicates the Rinats are increasingly routing giving through a DAF intermediary, a common strategy among tech-wealth philanthropists who value giving flexibility and privacy. Among direct grants, SOREK ($125K) and Foundation for Jewish Camp ($100K) represent new or significantly increased commitments compared to prior years. The foundation continues to support its core grantees including Oshman Family JCC, Abraham Initiatives, and Shalom Hartman Institute with consistent annual grants in the $20K-$25K range.

The DARE Foundation explicitly states it does not accept unsolicited requests for funds — all grants go to organizations chosen by the board. This means traditional grant application strategies do not apply. However, organizations seeking to enter the foundation's grantmaking orbit should consider the following approaches. First, cultivate direct relationships with Zack and Orli Rinat through Bay Area Jewish community networks, particularly through the Oshman Family JCC and Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley, both of which intersect with the Rinats' philanthropic circles. Second, organizations working in Israeli democracy, Arab-Jewish coexistence, or Jewish education should position themselves within the foundation's existing thematic interests — the consistent funding of Abraham Initiatives and Shalom Hartman Institute shows sustained commitment to these cause areas. Third, the foundation's support for Burning Man Project and Chakara indicates openness to creative and experiential organizations beyond traditional Jewish philanthropy, suggesting that innovative cultural programming could attract interest. Fourth, organizations in the Berkeley-Palo Alto corridor have a geographic advantage given the foundation's Bay Area base. Finally, given the substantial DAF allocation ($400K of $956K), organizations should be aware that some DARE Foundation support may arrive through intermediary DAF sponsors rather than directly, making it harder to track or attribute. The foundation's trust-based, general-purpose grant model means that once an organization is selected, it receives unrestricted funding with maximum flexibility — a highly attractive funding relationship worth the effort of relationship-building.