Tag Archives: Miranda Family Fund

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Receive Changemaker Award from Greenwich International Film Festival

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is a changemaker… And, now he’ll have the award to prove it.

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer-songwriter, playwright, and film director will receive the 2022 Changemaker Award from the Greenwich International Film Festival, according to festival organizer.

Lin-Manuel MirandaMiranda, the Pulitzer Prize winning creator of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton and the soundtracks to Disney‘s Moana and Encanto, has been selected for the award for his work with the Miranda Family Fund, which supports causes like education, the arts and social justice, and has been particularly focused on rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017.

In particular, GIFF is recognizing the work the fund has done in the last three years to provide more than 80 emerging artists with professional training, support in the business of the arts, access to casting directors, managers, and agents.

Miranda is also receiving the award for his work developing two full-time paid fellowship programs for BIPOC people in the arts world as a way of combating systemic barriers in the industry: a fellowship with acclaimed theater Woolly Mammoth for arts administrators which was announced in December 2020, and a Miranda fellows program at Telsey & Co. Casting Agency, the first class of which will be announced this winter.

The Changemaker Award honors artists who use film to forward social change.

Previous recipients include Eva Longoria Baston, Ashley Judd, Renée Zellweger, Christy Turlington Burns, Freida Pinto, Trudie Styler, Abigail Breslin, Harry Belafonte and Mia Farrow.

“I am especially honored to receive this award from GIFF, a non-profit that ‘bridges the worlds of art and philanthropy’—two areas I care about so deeply,” said Miranda in a statement. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the investment that arts educators have been putting into students for decades, often made possible only by the philanthropy of others. My family and I long ago made a commitment to continue that philanthropy, to open up more avenues for underrepresented artists, to diversify the field and allow far more people to be seen and heard. Thank you to GIFF for helping to continue to make that possible.”

GIFF, an all-female led non-profit organization that aims to use film to support social justice and philanthropic efforts, also announced that, instead of hosting a traditional week-long film festival, this year they will produce “GIFF: Uninterrupted,” a year-long programming format that will allow filmmakers to screen projects around other festival runs, premiere dates and press tours. GIFF will host an exclusive digital streaming platform for circumstances in which in-person events aren’t possible, and will continue to offer its best social impact film award, which includes a $10,000 cash prize. The award will be announced via virtual ceremony on April 27, 2022.

Miranda will be honored at the 2022 Changemaker Gala, which will be held May 25. Jenna Bush-Hager will emcee the event, which will take place at L’Escale in Greenwich, Conn.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Makes 10-Year $1 Million Commitment to National Theater Institute for Minority Scholarships

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Lin-Manuel Miranda is helping the next generation of theater stars…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican composer, lyricist, singer, actor, producer and playwright’s Miranda Family Fund has made a 10-year $1 million commitment to provide scholarships for the National Theater Institute, the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s six-semester program designed to prepare students for work in the theater industry.

Lin-Manuel Miranda 

The Miranda Family Fund supports scholarships to further the inclusion of artists of color across all disciplines of theater, and also has been active in post-Hurricane Mariarelief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico.

“We see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s influence, inspiration, and artistry everyday in our classrooms,” said the Institute’s Artistic Director Rachel Jett. “The Miranda family’s decade-long commitment ensures that NTI’s unique multi-disciplinary training is available to everyone. And that our ensembles — and the audiences that support their work — represent the multitude of voices that will keep this ever-evolving art form vibrant, relevant, and revolutionary.”

According to the announcement, the 10-year commitment will ensure that the Institute will be able “to advance access, opportunity, and representation in American culture,” and that the Miranda Family Fund is “helping to actively and permanently transform and diversify the American cultural landscape through investment in young artists and with the shared belief that the stories told and the artists who tell them should represent the diversity of the nation.”

The Miranda Family Fund was established in 2017, and to date has supported the training of 40 students of color at the Institute.

In 2005, Miranda held a workshop of In the Heightsat the O’Neill’s National Music Theater Conference. 

“My time at the O’Neill was integral to me learning how to tell my story,” the Hamiltoncreator said. “My family and I hope that this financial commitment will help the O’Neill to continue incorporating an increasingly diverse pool of creators and performers to their unique and impactful programming for years to come.“

Said Miranda, “Access is an obstacle for many people looking to pursue a career in the arts, particularly those of color.”

In addition to the playwright, the Miranda Family Fund is operated by his wife Vanessa Nadal, parents Luis A. Miranda, Jr.and Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda, sister Luz Miranda-Crespoand her husband Luis Crespo.