The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County (CFBMC) has announced that 20 high school seniors have been selected as semifinalists for the 2027 Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program:
- Eve Arnold, Bloomington High School South
- Lydia Arnold, Bloomington High School South
- Makiyah Bollhorst, Seven Oaks Classical School
- Connor Busby, Edgewood High School
- Tyler Cerney, Bloomington High School North
- Abe Corry, Bloomington High School South
- Ava Francis, Bloomington High School North
- Teagan Jones, Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship
- William Liao, Bloomington High School South
- North Milner, Bloomington High School North
- Isobel O’Leary, Bloomington High School North
- Isabelle Oliver, Bloomington High School South
- Adelaide Racek, Bloomington High School South
- Chloe Richardson, Edgewood High School
- Omid Safi, Bloomington High School North
- Albie Singleton, Bloomington High School North
- Owen Stringer, Bloomington High School South
- Addilyn Ulmet, Edgewood High School
- Silvia Walker, Bloomington High School South
- Sadie Woodring, Bloomington High School North
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will award 147 scholarships statewide, including two in Monroe County. Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) administers the program statewide, and the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County administers it locally.
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.
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.
The 20 semifinalists were selected from 102 applications submitted by students attending high schools that serve Monroe County. The number of semifinalists identified from each school is based on the size of its senior class.
Semifinalists have been invited to answer additional application questions and submit recommendations from teachers or others. The Community Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee, comprised of community members and a former Monroe County Lilly Scholar, will review and score the applications without identifying information and select ten finalists. In October, each finalist will be interviewed, and the interview scores will be combined with the written application scores. 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.
In nominating recipients to receive the Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, consideration is given to academic performance and activities, community engagement and civic service, student employment, and leadership potential.
Monroe County’s two Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipients will be announced in December.
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.
About the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County
The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County connects donors and resources to catalyze solutions that strengthen Monroe County through grantmaking, leadership, and strategic partnerships to drive both immediate and long-term impact. Created by individuals, families, and businesses who share a passion for Monroe County and a vision for its future, the Community Foundation has granted $52 million to more than 600 local nonprofit organizations since its incorporation in 1990. With a growing $59 million endowment, the Foundation makes a difference by connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources to address our community’s most pressing challenges and seize its most compelling opportunities.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, Lilly Endowment Inc. is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
About Independent Colleges of 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.