The Wellness Advocacy Fund is a left-of-center advocacy group that funds a variety of left-of-center political action committees, advocacy groups, and nonprofits focused on promoting left-of-center issues and Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts. The group is affiliated with the Bainum Family Foundation, a Maryland-based foundation funded by Stewart Bainum, Sr., the late founder and chair of Choice Hotels.

Both the Bainum Family Foundation and the Wellness Advocacy Fund are directed by Barbara Bainum, the daughter of Stewart Bainum, who exercises complete control of the Wellness Advocacy Fund. Tin 2022 the fund reported $4.6 million in  expenses and $26 million in assets, the majority of which were derived from shares of Choice Hotels stock. Groups funded by the Wellness Advocacy Fund include the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the Center for Voter Information, End Citizens United, Tides Advocacy, and the League of Conservation Voters. ^{1 2 3}

Background

The Wellness Advocacy Fund was founded by Barbara Bainum, the controlling heir of the Bainum Family Foundation, a Maryland-based family foundation that controls over $780 million in assets. The Bainum Family Foundation funds a variety of left-of-center organizations. Funding for both the Wellness Advocacy Fund and the Bainum Family Foundation comes from the estate of founder Stewart Bainum, Sr., a businessman who founded Choice Hotels and Manor Care, both of which grew into large publicly traded companies. Stewart Banium, Sr., and his wife Jane had four children, including Barbara Bainum. Barbara Bainum took over the Commonweal Foundation in 2008, which she rebranded as the Bainum Family Foundation in 2015. Barbara Bainum retired as the chair of the Banium Family Foundation in 2019. ⁴

The Wellness Advocacy Fund was granted tax-exempt status in 2020. Little is available about the Foundation aside from public tax records as it has no public-facing presence or website and it is not acknowledged in any materials from the Banium Family Foundation. ⁵  

According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings, much of the funding for the Wellness Advocacy Fund stems from its ownership of Choice Hotel stock, likely transferred from Barbara Bainum or the Bainum Family Foundation. According to 2020 SEC filings, the fund owns 281,818 shares of Choice Hotel stock. The SEC filing statesthat the shares are “owned by Wellness Advocacy Fund, a tax-exempt organization for which Ms. Bainum is a Director and has sole voting and dispositive authority.” ⁶

Activity

Tax returns for the Wellness Advocacy Fund state that the organization’s focus at the end of 2022 was “supporting voting rights and access for communities and leaders of color, climate action, and redistricting. Grants are made to other 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), or 527 organizations to accomplish these purposes.” ⁷

Groups funded by the Wellness Advocacy Fund include the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the Center for Voter Information, End Citizens United, Tides Advocacy, the League of Conservation Voters, Fair Fight Inc, The PAC for America’s Future, We the People Michigan PAC, Somos Voyantes, America Votes, Center for Empowered Politics, Way to Win, Indivisible, Family Friendly Action Fund, Mi Familia Vota, Alliance for Youth Action, and the Asian American Advocacy Fund. ⁸

1. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (form 990). Wellness Advocacy Fund. 2022. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/843757375/202343189349314424/full
2. “Schedule 14a: Choice Hotels International.” Securities and Exchange Commission. 2020. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046311/000104631120000014/a2020chh_def14.htm
3. “History.” Bainum Family Foundation. Accessed April 18, 2021. https://bainumfdn.org/about/history/
4. “Timeline.” Bainum Family Foundation. Accessed April 18, 2021.  https://www.enwoven.com/collections/view/17771/timeline?eventId=70757
5. “Timeline.” Bainum Family Foundation. Accessed April 18, 2021.  https://www.enwoven.com/collections/view/17771/timeline?eventId=70757
6. “Schedule 14a: Choice Hotels International.” Securities and Exchange Commission. 2020. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1046311/000104631120000014/a2020chh_def14.htm
7. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (form 990). Wellness Advocacy Fund. 2022. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/843757375/202343189349314424/full
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (form 990). Wellness Advocacy Fund. 2022. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/843757375/202343189349314424/full