Lin-Manuel Miranda - Family Launch New Fund to Elevate Latino Political Leadership

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Family Launch New Fund to Elevate Latino Political Leadership

Award-winning songwriter, actor, director, and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda joined his family on Tuesday to unveil the Miranda Family Rising Stars Fund, a national pipeline initiative housed within the Latino Victory Project that aims to expand Latino political representation from school boards to Congress.

In a video released across Latino Victory’s social platforms, Miranda framed the effort as both personal and urgent. “I am proud to join my family in launching the Latino Victory Rising Stars Fund to celebrate Luis Miranda, my dad’s lifelong commitment to increase the number of Latino elected officials,” he said. “We need leaders who are ready to run for office, represent us with pride, and deliver.”

The announcement marks the latest chapter in a decades-long family project. The Mirandas—led by the patriarch, political strategist Luis A. Miranda Jr.—have been among New York’s most influential Latino families in civic life, philanthropy, cultural advocacy, and public service since the late 1970s. Their work has spanned campaigns, public health, arts education, and community organizing, often at pivotal moments in the city’s political and cultural evolution.

Luis Miranda’s imprint on American Latino politics is substantial. Born and raised in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, he moved to New York as a young adult and quickly became a trusted adviser to city leaders, including serving as a special advisor for Hispanic affairs under Mayor Ed Koch. Over the next four decades, he built a reputation as a strategist with deep roots in both the community and the political machinery that shapes urban life. His tenure as chair of Latino Victory from 2017 to 2024 coincided with the group’s sharp rise in national influence. Under his leadership, the organization backed more than 450 candidates across the country and helped elect more than 245 Latino officials at the local, state, and federal levels.

His life story has been chronicled in the HBO documentary “Siempre, Luis” and in his memoir, “Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That Is Transforming America,” which traces his trajectory from Puerto Rico to the center of Latino political power in the United States.

The new Rising Stars Fund, named in his honor, is designed as a permanent mechanism rather than a short-term electoral tool. It will provide mentorship, training, and material support for emerging candidates beginning with the 2026 midterm elections. The Miranda family has already contributed seed funding and is calling on supporters nationwide to join them, to build the fund to seven figures.

“This initiative focuses on developing the next generation of political power across the nation by helping new and upcoming leaders with the resources they need to get elected,” said Luz Miranda-Crespo, Lin-Manuel’s sister, who appears in the video alongside their brother, Miguel Towns, and their mother, Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda. The family, she added, is committed to ensuring that Latino representation reflects the size and diversity of the community.

Katharine Pichardo, President and CEO of Latino Victory, noted that the decision to name the fund after Luis Miranda reflects not only his contributions to the organization but also his standing as one of the most enduring Latino political figures in the country. “Luis A. Miranda has dedicated his life to opening doors, causing change, and forging communities,” she said. “We are honored to name this new initiative in recognition of his inspiring legacy that extends to his entire family – all actively engaged in supporting worthy causes.”

For Luis Miranda, the fund formalizes a belief he has championed for his entire career. “Latino power and representation have come a long way since I began my still-ongoing work to ensure that Latinos are not just part of the conversation but at the decision-making table,” he said. “Representation cannot be symbolic; it must be real, and it requires all of us to work together to make it happen.”

The fund’s first slate of grantees reflects that commitment to geographic and ideological breadth, backing five candidates in competitive districts across the country:

• Randy Villegas (CA-22) — an educator and community advocate focused on improving outcomes for Central Valley families.

• Manny Rutinel (CO-08) — a state representative running for Congress to represent Colorado’s working families.

• Bobby Pulido (TX-15) — a Tejano artist and lifelong South Texan who emphasizes local values and everyday concerns.

• Joanna Mendoza (AZ-06) — a U.S. Navy veteran and educator committed to expanding opportunity and equitable representation.

• Denise Powell (NE-02) — a small business owner and health care advocate campaigning to uplift working families in Nebraska.

Latino Victory, a 501(c)(4) organization, said additional grantees will be named periodically. The group develops Latino candidates and works to shape public discourse at a moment when the country’s demographics are shifting rapidly. 

Its sister organization, the Latino Victory Fund, operates as a political action committee to increase Latino representation at every level of American government.

Together, the Mirandas and Latino Victory hope the Rising Stars Fund becomes an enduring engine for change—one designed not only to elect new leaders, but to widen the political imagination of a community whose influence continues to grow.