Giving Compass' Take:

• Oprah Winfrey interviewed Lin-Manuel Miranda about his giving habits and he, in turn, described the perspective behind his own family philanthropy. 

• The Miranda family says there was a lot of structured programming when it came to having their kids engage with the community. Why is this important when trying to inspire young people to connect with philanthropic initiatives? 

•  Read the Giving Compass Family Philanthropy Guide for donors. 

People throw words around left and right: This person’s a genius, that guy’s a visionary, she’s a force of nature, he’s amazing. But until someone comes up with a brand new vocabulary, those are the truest words I know for Lin-Manuel Miranda. The irony is, with his groundbreaking musical Hamilton, Lin actually did bring a new language to Broadway. He spoke truth to immigration and race and power, and he did it with hip-hop—the poetry of the street.

Where others would be ­perfectly content to rest on their box office, Lin dedicates his talent to aiding hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, with 100 percent of the profits from his single “Almost Like Praying” going to rebuild the island he loves.

I first met the Mirandas in 2004, when I began collaborating with Lin-Manuel on the Broadway-bound musical In the Heights. Recently I sat down with the entire family—Luz and Luis, their children Lin-Manuel and Luz, and their spouses Vanessa and Luis—at their home in Upper Manhattan to discuss how the idea of giving back has become central to their identities.

QH: Do you have to truly believe in a cause to get involved with it?
Luis Miranda: You need to believe in the cause enough that you’re going ask others for resources. If you don’t believe in a cause, it’s very, very difficult. I learned a long time ago that you give until it hurts. If you’re not making sacrifices, you’re not giving enough.

QH: As parents, did you have a structured program for teaching your kids about giving and about community engagement?
Luz Towns-Miranda: Absolutely. These kids got dragged to activities at the local nonprofits, the school board meetings, campaigning. It’s in their blood, because that’s what they grew up with.

Read the full article about family philanthropy by Oprah Winfrey and Quiara Alegria Hudes at Town&Country