The timeline and deadlines are changing this year for the Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program and students interested in applying will need to act quickly to complete requirements for participating. The two 2017 Lilly Scholars for Monroe County will be named in December 2016. Previous scholarship recipients were announced in March of the year they graduated from high school. The change affects the program for all Indiana community foundations.
The advanced timeline is the result of a “compelling recommendation” from community foundations who participated in a statewide evaluation of the program conducted by Lilly Endowment in 2015. During the evaluation process, a number of Indiana community foundations suggested that identifying Lilly Scholars earlier in the school year would give more time for them to decide which college or university to attend.
Lilly 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 Scholarships, consideration is given to student activities and achievements, community and civic service, academic performance and potential for leadership.
Online applications will be made available on the Community Foundation website this summer. Students planning to apply for the scholarship should expect to submit their completed materials in August. The Community Foundation Board of Director’s is reviewing the new scholarship procedures and the new timeline will be publically announced in June on the CFBMC website.
“For 20 years, the Community Foundation has been given the distinct honor of awarding the Lilly Community Scholarships to deserving Monroe County students,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Tina Peterson. “This community continues to be blessed with exceptionally talented young people and the pool of potential candidates for this scholarship is always highly competitive. To ensure that every eligible student has the opportunity to apply, we want to get information out to the community about this change in deadlines early in order to ensure that students make plans to start their application process this summer in advance of the new deadlines.”
Deadlines for all other donor-established scholarships administered through The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County will remain unchanged. For more information on the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship or other scholarships administered by CFBMC, visit www.cfbmc.org or contact Marcus Whited, Program Officer 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 $23 million to more than 400 local nonprofit organizations since its incorporation in 1990. With a growing $26 million endowment, the Foundation makes a difference by connecting caring people, important causes and community resources.