Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application available Friday

The 2026 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application will be available August 1, through the Fulton County Community Foundation. 

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide with one being awarded in Fulton 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.

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

•           graduate from an accredited Indiana high school by 2026 and receive their diploma no later than June 30, 2026;

•           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. 

Visit www.nicf.org/fulton-county/scholarships for the application, which must be completed and submitted by Thursday, September 4, 3:00 p.m. ET to be considered.

Applications will be evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria: academic performance, service in community, work, and school, as well as application essays.

Finalists will be nominated by the Fulton County Lilly Committee, and their selection will be submitted to ICI for review. 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 $505 million. More than 5,400 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.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship another year and want to thank Lilly Endowment Inc. for continuing to invest in the bright futures of our local students,” said Shannon Berger, Northern Indiana Community Foundation Scholarship Coordinator. “This opportunity goes far beyond financial support—it opens the door to a network of dedicated mentors, peers, and professionals who are all committed to seeing these scholars succeed. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness the lasting impact this program has, not only on individual lives but on entire communities.”