FUND PROFILE

Hummingbird Endowment for the Arts

The Hummingbird Endowment for the Arts supports Pasadena Community Foundation’s annual award for students pursuing education in the creative arts. Created in memory of Jennifer Lauren Miller Higley, the fund honors her vibrant spirit, passion for learning, and deep love for artistic expression.

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OVERVIEW

About the Fund

Jennifer Lauren Miller Higley shaped her short life by caring for causes greater than herself and fully experiencing the brilliance of human expression. Whether that meant championing social equality and women’s rights, visiting museums and exhibitions weekly, teaching the art of ikebana, or sharing her love of film, music, and art with her friends and family, Jenn absorbed and contributed to the world voraciously.

In late 2020, Jenn’s life was cut short at age 35 after a year-long fight with an extremely aggressive form of breast cancer. In her honor, the Miller and Higley family created The Hummingbird Endowment for the Arts, which will provide an annual award to students pursuing an education in the creative arts.

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Devoted to Making a Difference

Jenn grew up in Los Angeles and earned a BA in communications and art history from UCLA before attending The New School in New York, where she received a master’s in Media Studies. She jumped into a career focused on human-centered design, finally serving as the Director of Experience Design at the world-renowned TBWAMedia Arts Lab. She leveraged her compassion and empathy, as well as her photographic and synesthetic mind, to design unique systems that made a difference in people’s lives, both professionally and personally.

A Lasting Legacy of Learning

Jenn devoted herself to a life of learning, experiencing, and questioning. Her deeply inquisitive nature was also a gift. Every question she asked was a gift back to you. With her eyes wide and ears open, Jenn lived completely. She would have continued to make an incredible impact in the world. Her family hopes that The Hummingbird Endowment for the Arts will bring the joy of learning and the arts to others for many years to come.

Contact Us

For more information about PCF giving opportunities, please contact
Pasadena Community Foundation
301 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 810
Pasadena, CA., 91101
626.796.2097
pcfstaff@pasadenacf.org

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