Jen Higgins Fund
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| Jen Higgins was a young woman
with a passion for the outdoors. Her love of the mountains was kindled
at an early age through many family trips in the Rockies, and as she
grew older, she moved to BC from Ontario to be closer to the mountains.
One of Jen’s most endearing traits was her adventurous and generous
spirit – she was always eager to share her knowledge and enthusiasm
of the outdoors with friends who hadn’t had the privilege of
enjoying a mountain experience. She touched many people in this way
through her short 22 years, and shared her joy of living. It was on
her way to the Rockies to introduce a friend to one of her favourite
spots – the Stanley Mitchell Hut in Little Yoho Valley –
that she was involved in a fatal car accident.
The Jen Higgins fund was established after her death in 1997 by
many of her family and friends so that her enthusiasm and generous
spirit could continue to live on by supporting young women in creative,
self-propelled, mountain adventures. |
The Jen Higgins Fund was established in 1997 "to promote alpine-related outdoor pursuits for young women". Until her death that year at the age of 22, Jen set an outstanding example for young women with her unique combination of "... a love of the outdoors, competitive spirit and a healthy respect for nature's rough edges".
The Fund is permanent, with the investment income used to provide grants to groups or individuals for initiatives meeting the selection criteria. The individual or group wishing Fund support is required to submit a written grant application (see attached). The Alpine Club's Higgins Fund Selection Committee reviews all applications. It is intended that one or more grants be provided annually from the Fund; however, if the Committee feels that no applications in any one year are worthy of support, the grant monies are re-invested in the Fund for future use.
The application deadline is January 31st of each year.
Information package:
Adobe
PDF
Application form: 
Word
Document
For an idea of the types of trips funded, view some of the reports from previous years:
Selection Criteria
Only applications from members of the Alpine Club
of Canada will be considered. Applications may be from individual young
women (approximate age: 17-30, or from groups of
women in that age bracket). )f the application involves a group activity,
note that the non-applicant members of the group can be of either gender
and/or of any age. Preference for grant funding is given to applications
requesting support for activities with the following attributes:
- An emphasis on the mountain environment, i.e. the activity will take place in a mountain environment and/or the activity will benefit the alpine community;
- A reliance on self-propelled (i.e. non-mechanical) methods of movement or transport;
- A demonstration of initiative, creativity, energy and resourcefulness in conceiving, planning and carrying out the activity. (This criteria is an important one, and means that applications for funding to attend established courses will not be considered.);
- An experience with good potential for learning and development of leadership skills for the participant(s);
- An initiative of direct or indirect benefit to the community where the applicant lives, i.e. the preparation and delivery of a post-activity presentation by the applicant to a community or school group.
- Please note that although highly technical trips have been awarded in the past, it is not an expectation of fund applicants.
Examples of projects that would receive favourable consideration for funding include one or a combination of the following activities: hiking, climbing, mountaineering, paddling, sailing, skiing, ice climbing, or bicycling in an alpine environment. The project should benefit the community or the environment in some way, and should provide opportunities to young women for development in the outdoors, either through experience, mentorship or informal education.
Annual Process and Timing
The following are the steps involved in the grant application/selection process each year:
- Notice inviting applications: February, June and October issues of the national ACC newsletter, The Gazette, and other outlets as appropriate;
- Application receipt deadline: Applications must be received no later than January 31st at the ACC National Office, P.O. Box 8040, Canmore, Alberta T1W 2T8 Attn: Higgins Fund Selection Committee;
- Review of applications by the Selection Committee: February/March;
- Announcement of successful applicants: March 15th;
- Grant(s) paid: May onwards, based on project timing
and any application approval conditions
Jen Higgins
Agreement
As part of their application, applicants must
agree to:
- Use Fund grant monies only for the purpose(s) proposed in the application;
- Supply receipts to substantiate the Fund grant-related expenses incurred;
- Prepare a post-activity report (1,000 to 1,500 words) to The Alpine Club of Canada indicating the original plans for the activity, the activity undertaken, and the extent to which the activity objective stated in the original application was met;
- Recognize, in all related advertising, news
releases, reports, publications, etc. the support provided with the
following words:
- "This (project)(program)(event) was made possible through a grant from the Jen Higgins Fund of The Alpine Club of Canada." ;
- Ensure that the direct or indirect benefit to the community where the applicant lives is delivered.
The Alpine Club of Canada. All rights reserved.