The 2027 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available in Fountain County through the Western Indiana Community Foundation. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide and one Scholarship in Fountain 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 Fountain County through the Western Indiana Community Foundation, is open to all Indiana residents who:
- graduate from an accredited Indiana high school by 2027 and receive their diploma no later than June 30, 2027;
- 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 wicf-inc.org
for complete information regarding Fountain County’s application criteria.
Students can learn more about the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Fountain County and apply for this scholarship by visiting www.wicf-inc.org. Applications must be completed and submitted by September 1 to be considered.
Applications will be evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria: Academics, Community/Volunteer Service, and Work/School Activities. Three finalists will be nominated by the Western Indiana Community Foundation, and their names will be submitted to ICI for final selection of the recipients. 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.
Western Indiana Community Foundation is again pleased to offer LECSP for its 30th year in Fountain County. Over forty Fountain County students have had the pleasure of receiving this wonderful scholarship. We are looking forward to working with another stellar group of students from throughout Fountain County during the 2026-2027 academic year,” said Taylor Powell, Chief Executive Officer of the Western Indiana Community Foundation.
Western Indiana Community Foundation is a not-for-profit public charity established in 1990 to serve donors, award grants and scholarships, and provide leadership to improve all of Fountain County, Indiana.
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 28 private, nonprofit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ over 22,400 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of over $5.3 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.
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