Deadline to apply for eligible high school seniors is August 13, 2020
The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County (CFBMC) has opened its application for the 2021 Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program. Interested high school seniors have until Thursday, August 13 to submit applications to be considered for the scholarship program.
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are awarded four-year, full tuition scholarships to pursue baccalaureate degrees at colleges or universities in Indiana. The scholarship also includes up to $900 annually for required textbooks and equipment. In selecting recipients for the Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, consideration is given to student activities and achievements, community and civic service, academic performance, and leadership potential.
“Although we’ve moved the deadline up a bit this year, we feel that we have updated the application to allow for a more efficient and streamlined process for all involved,” said Program Director Marcus Whited.
Semifinalists for the scholarship will be identified in September, and will be invited to submit updated applications for the finalist round by Thursday, September 24. Finalists will be identified and interviewed in October, and the two 2021 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars for Monroe County will be named in December 2020.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Applicant must be a resident of Monroe County.
- Applicant must attend an accredited Monroe County high school and/or the Indiana Academy for at least three consecutive years.
- Applicant must graduate by June of 2021 from one of these eligible schools: Bloomington High School North, Bloomington High School South, Edgewood High School, Seven Oaks Classical School, Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics & Humanities, Bloomington Graduation School, and Lighthouse Christian Academy.
- Applicant must have a cumulative GPA of 3.70 or above (on a weighted four-point scale) through the end of their junior year.
- Applicant plans to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an Indiana college or university beginning in the Fall of 2021.
Evaluation Process:
Applications are blindly reviewed and independently scored by members of a Lilly Scholarship committee at each Monroe County high school to identify semifinalists. The number of semifinalists identified is reflective of each school’s senior class size.
Next, semifinalists submit a full application, which includes additional content and references from school and other members of the community. The Community Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee will then evaluate the semifinalists applications. This committee, which is made up of members of the community and former Monroe County Lilly Scholars, blindly reviews and scores applications from the semifinalists to select ten finalists. In October, each finalist will be interviewed, and their interview scores will be combined with scoring from the written application. The finalists’ rankings, along with the committee’s recommendations for scholarship nominees, will be submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. for final selection of scholarship recipients for Monroe County prior to announcement in December.
“Monroe County and the Indiana Uplands region is home to exceptional students and exciting career opportunities,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Tina Peterson. “We are grateful that the Lilly Endowment in collaboration with Independent Colleges of Indiana for this incredible opportunity to incent young people to pursue their post-secondary education at Indiana’s world-class higher education institutions. Our hope is that these students not only stay here for school but also pursue thriving careers here and raise families in our communities.”
Since the Lilly Endowment Scholarship Program’s inception in 1998, over $424 million in scholarship tuition has been provided. Including the 23rd cohort, which begins college classes this fall, 4,769 full-tuition Lilly scholarships have been awarded. The Lilly Scholarship program is administered by Independent Colleges of Indiana and community foundations in each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
For more information on the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program or other scholarships administered by CFBMC, visit https://cfbmc.org/lasting-impact/apply-for-a-scholarship/ or contact Marcus Whited, Program Director at 812-333-9016 or [email protected].
About Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County:
Created by individuals, families, and businesses who share a passion for Monroe County and a vision for its future, the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County has granted $30 million to more than 400 local nonprofit organizations since its incorporation in 1990. With a growing $33.5 million endowment, the Foundation makes a difference by connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources.