Inside the Bainum Family Foundation's Deepening Support for Early Ed

The Bainum Family Foundation recently announced its largest investment ever: a $100 million, five-year commitment for early childhood education. With this funding, “the foundation is doubling down on its mission to create lasting systems change for the wellbeing of children and families,” according to the announcement.

This longstanding family foundation doesn’t tend to make splashy headlines like some of its larger peers in the philanthrosphere. Still, as my colleague Ade Adeniji made clear when he traced the foundation’s development over its 56-year history in an in-depth profile last month, Bainum has been growing and expanding its reach. 

It all began with a rags-to-riches origin story. Stewart W. Bainum, born in 1919, hitchhiked from Ohio to Washington, D.C., with $3 in his pocket and a cardboard suitcase. He went on to build a fortune, first with his own plumbing business, then real estate, then elder care and hospitality. The multinational hospitality company he created, Choice Hotels International, is one of the largest hotel chains in the world. Young people have always been a focus for the family’s giving: Stewart Bainum and his wife established their philanthropy — originally called the College Foundation — in 1968. Today, the Bainum Family Foundation continues to evolve as younger generations assume larger roles in its operations. 

[Inside Philanthropy is] particularly interested in the Bainum Foundation’s commitment to early childhood education, an area that, despite increased philanthropic interest in recent years, could still benefit from more support, as IP detailed in our brief on early ed funding. 

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Source: Inside Philanthropy