2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Application is Open

FORT WAYNE, Ind, August 7, 2024— The 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available in Allen County through the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide, with five available in Allen 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 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.

The program, administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and locally in Allen County through the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, is open to all Indiana residents who:

• graduate from an accredited Indiana high school by 2025 and receive their diploma no later than June 30, 2025
• 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 interested in applying should contact their High School Guidance Counselor for complete information regarding the application, criteria, and deadline for completion. Applications will be evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria:

• be a resident of Allen County, Indiana
• be recommended through their high school
• graduate during the 2024-25 school year with a diploma from an accredited high school in Allen County, Indiana
• successfully complete the Indiana Core 40 degree program or higher
• have applied to an accredited public or private college or university in Indiana in pursuit of a full-time course of study by the start of the fall 2025 semester
• GPA of 3.0 or higher
• financial need

The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne will nominate five finalists, and their names will be submitted to ICI for final selection. Scholarship recipients will be notified in December.

Lilly Endowment created LECSP for the 1997-98 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling more than $490 million. More than 5,300 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.

The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne is pleased to offer LECSP for the 28th year in Allen County. “The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is a transformative opportunity for Allen County students, “said Brad Little, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne “We encourage all eligible students to apply and take advantage of this life-changing scholarship.”

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About the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.
The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne does three things: help people make their charitable giving more impactful, connect funding to nonprofits through effective grantmaking, and provide leadership to address community needs to improve quality of life. The organization connects people and resources daily to build a more vibrant community. As of December 31, 2022, the Community Foundation held charitable assets of approximately $194 Million and awarded more than $9 million in charitable grants and scholarships throughout the same year. Since its formation in 1922, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $184 million in charitable grants. For more information, visit the Community Foundation’s website at www.cfgfw.org.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

Since 1997, Independent Colleges of Indiana has administered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program statewide with funding provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. Founded in 1948, ICI serves as the collective voice for the state’s 29 private, nonprofit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ over 22,000 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of over $5 billion annually. Students at ICI colleges have Indiana’s highest four-year, on-time graduation rates, and ICI institutions produce 30 percent of Indiana’s bachelor’s degrees while enrolling 20 percent of its undergraduates.