The Morino Institute is the private grantmaking vehicle of left-of-center businessman Mario Morino.

Morino was one of the first to incorporate venture-capital-style giving to advocacy. He would later bring that mentality to his participation in the left-of-center donor network Democracy Alliance, which supports funding left-of-center causes. ¹

As of 2022, most of the group’s expenses went to undisclosed “other professional fees and expenses” and the largest single charitable contribution given that year was to another group Morino co-founded, Venture Philanthropy Partners. ²

Background

Mario Morino, a technology entrepreneur, founded the Morino Institute in 1994 to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, advance a more effective philanthropy, close social divides, and understand the relationship and impact of the internet on our society. ³

Morino seeded the money from the sale of LEGENT Corporation, a computer company, to a venture capital firm in 1995. ¹

Giving Philosophy

Mario Morino describes the Morino Institute as a holding organization without a special giving mission. There is a for-profit company called the Morino Group which solely exists to hold investments in the Morino Institute. The two entities then work on problems that Morino and his family choose to address. ⁴

Morino is one of the pioneers of venture philanthropy, which views giving to a nonprofit through an investment lens. When a venture philanthropist sees an organization that has the potential to be more effective, the philanthropist gives them significant capital over several years and provides strategic assistance to help them achieve their mission. ⁴

Leap Of Reason

The Morino Institute supported the “Leap Of Reason” initiative which was dedicated to sharing the message of high performance to a broader audience. In 2011, Mario Moreno published Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity, which became a highly regarded book in the nonprofit sector. Morino created the Leap of Reason Ambassadors Community support this work. ³

In June 2023, the National Council of Nonprofits announced that it was taking over the Leap of Reason  Ambassadors Community from the Morino Institute. ⁵

Advocacy Giving

The Morino Institute pioneered political giving to left-of-center causes and infrastructure through nonprofit foundations. The pioneering left-of-center giving led Mario Morino to join the left-of-center donor network Democracy Alliance, which used many of the principles of venture philanthropy to support its work. ¹

Grantmaking

In 2022, the Morino Institute spent $2,220,638 and only gave $393,601 in grants. The largest single grant of $250,000 was to Venture Philanthropy Partners. ²

Venture Philanthropy Partners is a group co-founded by Mario Morino, U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), and Raul Fernandez in 2000. The group later merged with Raise DC and rebranded as Youth Invest Partners. In January 2024, the group announced that it was shutting down citing a downturn in philanthropic giving and increased cost of executing its mission. ⁶

Leadership

The Morino Institute’s chairman is Mario Morino. He is also an honorary trustee of the left-of-center Brookings Institution. ⁷

Financials

According to the Morino Institute’s 2022 tax return, the group had $1,799,443 in revenue, $2,220,638 in expenses, and $705,435 in assets. ²

The largest reported expense category was $1,790,367 in “other professional fees and expenses.” ²

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2. “Morino Foundation, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/541643112/202313179349101621/full.
3. “Morino Institute.” Leap of Reason. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://leapofreason.org/about-us-2/about-morino-institute/.
4. Frederick, Denver. “Mario Morino, Chairman of the Morino Institute, Joins Denver Frederick.” The Business Of Giving, August 15, 2018. https://denver-frederick.com/2018/08/15/mario-morino-chairman-of-the-morino-institute-joins-denver-frederick/.
5. “Leap Ambassadors Community Becomes Part of National Council of Nonprofits.” National Council of Nonprofits, June 27, 2023. https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/pressreleases/leap-ambassadors-community-becomes-part-national-council-nonprofits.
6. “Youth Invest Partners Announces It Is Sunsetting Operations during the First Quarter of 2024.” Youth Invest Partners , January 19, 2024. https://youthinvestpartners.org/youth-invest-partners-announces-it-is-sunsetting-operations-during-the-first-quarter-of-2024/.
7. “Mario Morino.” Cleveland Clinic. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/about/overview/leadership/board-of-directors/morino-mario.