Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application now open for Monroe County high school seniors

Deadline to apply: August 14, 2023

The 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available in Monroe County through the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide and two scholarships in Monroe County. 

LECSP scholarships may be used for otherwise unreimbursed full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year. The special allocation may cover the costs for required books and required equipment for four years of undergraduate study on a full-time basis leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university.
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The program, administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and locally in Monroe County through the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, is open to all Indiana residents who:

•  graduate from an accredited Indiana high school by 2024 and receive their diploma no later than June 30, 2024;
• intend to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an eligible college or university in Indiana; and
• meet the criteria specific to their local community foundation.

Students can learn more about the application criteria for Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Monroe County and apply for this scholarship by visiting https://cfbmc.org/lasting-impact/apply-for-a-scholarship/lilly-scholarship/. Applications must be completed and submitted by August 14, 2023, to be considered. 

In September, students selected as semifinalists in Monroe County will be invited to answer additional application questions and provide reference recommendations from teachers or others. Applications for the finalist round will be due by September 21, 2023. Finalists will be identified and interviewed in October, and the names of the two 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars for Monroe County will be submitted to ICI for final selection of the recipients. Scholarship recipients will be notified in December, 2023.

Eligibility Requirements for Monroe County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships:

• Applicant must be a resident of Monroe County, Indiana.
• Applicant must be currently attending or have attended an accredited Monroe County high school and/or the Indiana Academy (in Delaware County) for at least three consecutive years (including senior year) and graduate by June of 2024. Eligible schools include The Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship, Covenant Christian School, Bloomington Graduation School, Bloomington High School North, Bloomington High School South, Edgewood High School, Harmony School, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics & Humanities, Lighthouse Christian Academy, and Seven Oaks Classical School.
• Applicant must have a cumulative GPA of 3.70 or above (on a weighted four-point scale) through the end of their junior year and plan to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an Indiana college or university beginning in the Fall of 2024.
• Applicants must be available to participate in an interview with the selection committee on an evening in October if selected as a finalist for the scholarship.

Evaluation Process for Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships:
Applications are blindly reviewed and independently scored by members of a Lilly Scholarship committee at each Monroe County high school to identify semifinalists. The number of semifinalists identified is determined by each school’s senior class size.

Next, semifinalists submit additional content and references from schools and other members of the community. The Community Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee then evaluates the semifinalist applications. This committee, comprised of community members and former Monroe County Lilly Scholars, blindly reviews and scores applications from the semifinalists to select ten finalists. In October, each finalist will be interviewed, and their interview scores are combined with scoring from the written applications. In selecting recipients for the Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, consideration is given to student activities and achievements, community and civic service, academic performance, and leadership potential. 

The finalists’ rankings, along with the committee’s recommendations for scholarship nominees, are then submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. for final selection of scholarship recipients for Monroe County prior to the formal announcement in December.

“The opportunity afforded high school seniors by the Lilly Endowment and Independent Colleges of Indiana is unique in its focus on encouraging Indiana’s young people to choose Indiana for their post-secondary education,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Tina Peterson. “By giving students the option to attend any accredited four-year college or university across the state, it allows students to broaden their experiences but also keeps them in Indiana, increasing the likelihood they choose Indiana for the next step in their professional journey. It’s a win-win for students and for our communities.”

Lilly Endowment created LECSP for the 1997-98 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling more than $486 million. More than 5,000 Indiana students have received Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships since the program’s inception.

The primary purposes of LECSP are: 1) to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; 2) to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 3) to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.
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For more information on the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program or other scholarships administered by CFBMC, visit https://www.cfbmc.org/lasting-impact/apply-for-a-scholarship/ or contact Marcus Whited, Program Director, at 812-333-9016 or marcus@cfbmc.org.