2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship

 The 2024-2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Application is CLOSED! Information for the 2026 Lilly will be available in July 2025.

 

Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year 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. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), which connects scholars with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI).

2025 Criteria Required for Student to Apply

  • Graduating senior from an accredited high school in Lake County, Indiana
  • Resident of Lake County, Indiana
  • Plan to attend a full-time baccalaureate course of study in the fall of 2025 at an accredited Indiana college/university
  • Unweighted GPA of 3.25
  • Student MUST reside in Lake County, Indiana AND attend high school in Lake County, Indiana
  • Student family household must fall within the following income threshold based on your family’s Adjusted Gross Income as reported on your taxes and the number of people reported in your household for 2023.
    • 1 person ≤ $95,438
    • 2 people ≤ $109,125
    • 3 people ≤ $120,844
    • 4 people ≤ $136,313
    • 5 people ≤ $147,281
    • 6 people ≤ $158,156
    • 7 people ≤ $169,031
    • 8 people ≤ $180,000

2025 Selection Criteria

  • Academics
  • Demonstrated leadership skills
  • Service to others
  • Character
  • Essay
  • Interview
  • Financial need

2025 Award Details

  • Six (6) students from Lake County, Indiana will receive the scholarship.
  • Covers four (4) years of full tuition to ANY accredited 4-year private or public college in Indiana.
  • The students will also receive a $900 per year stipend for books.

BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION

JOIN US ON ZOOM!

2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Recipients

  • Carlton Clay, Merrillville High School
  • Caroline Donaldson, Hanover Central High School
  • Ryan Grellman, River Forest High School
  • Genaro Herrejon, Whiting High School
  • Brett Herrin, Hobart High School
  • Jada Sellers, East Chicago Central High School

About the LECS Program

Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1998-1999 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling in excess of $439 million. More than 5,000 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception.

The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program 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.