Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program

Conditions for the Award

• Graduate from an accredited Indiana high school and receive a diploma no later than June 30, 2025. A high school is considered accredited for purposes of the program if it is accredited by the State Board of Education or by a national or regional accreditation agency that is recognized by the State Board of Education. Although home-schooled students are ineligible to apply for the LECS, students enrolled in accredited online high schools may be eligible. Contact your Community Foundation for more information.
• Intend to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at any Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
• Select the college or university they will attend prior to May 1, 2025.
• Hold first-time college student status upon entering their chosen college or university in pursuit of four years of undergraduate studies.
• Apprise the Community Foundation Alliance annually of their academic status while pursuing their baccalaureate degree and of their postgraduate status (education and employment) for at least ten years after graduation.
• Account for and return to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) any amount of the allocation for required books and equipment remaining at the end of each school year.
• Disclose additional scholarship offers. (When recipients receive additional scholarships, those additional scholarships will be reviewed in order to ensure that each Lilly Scholar receives the full scholarship amount(s) that are due. The amount awarded under the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program may be adjusted to avoid having a scholar’s total award package exceed the Cost of Attendance.)
• Agree to the conditions outlined in the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Agreement.

Eligibility Requirements

• Be a resident of Daviess County, Indiana.
• Be a graduate of an accredited Daviess County or Indiana high school or academy by the end of June 2025.
• Rank in the top 10% of their class or have a minimum 1220 SAT score (ERW + M) or a minimum ACT score of 25.
• Be available for an interview October 21, 2024, with the scholarship committee if selected as a finalist, and be prepared to write a short essay on October 2, 2024, on a selected topic as an example of writing/critical thinking skills prior to the interview.
• Apply for the scholarship in only one county.

Selection Criteria

The first phase (60 points)

• Academic performance (consideration of GPA, difficulty of courses taken, and consistency of grades over 3 years of high school – 20 points)
• Community service and volunteer activities (consideration of the number of organizations served, intensity and longevity of service, and leadership qualities demonstrated in the service – 15 points)
• Personal statement of goals and essay (consideration of grammar, overall presentation, clarity of goal statement, and community and civic pride link – 10 points)
• School activities, sports, and work experience (leadership roles in activities and/or sports, indicating a team spirit, working well with others, and commitment and drive; consistent work history, dependability, and works well with others – 15 points)

The second phase (40 points) is the finalist interview and impromptu essay and includes the following:

• Verbal communication skills/ability to respond in an impromptu manner (clear expression of finalist’s thoughts and ideas with proper grammar and speech, demonstrates substantive knowledge on topics addressed during the interview – 15 points)
• Civic pride and interest (expression of finalist’s commitment and dedication to the quality of their community through verbal communication and history of service – 10 points)
• Impromptu essay (grammar, 5 points; clarity of thought, 5 points; depth of thought, 5 points – 15 points)

In the event of a tie between two candidates, each committee member will confidentially vote on the most worthy candidate, and the selection will be made by the majority vote.

Transcripts

Students should submit their transcript and test scores directly to the Community Foundation through Parchment or by submitting a request to their guidance counselor.

Application Access Code

Use this code to access the application through your user account:

dav

Qualified applicants will:

Be a resident of Daviess County, Indiana.

• Be a graduate of an accredited Indiana high school or academy by the end of June 2025.
• Rank in the top 10% of their class or have a minimum 1220 SAT score (ERW + M) or a minimum ACT score of 25.
• Be available for an interview October 21, 2024, with the scholarship committee if selected as a finalist, and be prepared to write a short essay on October 2, 2024, on a selected topic as an example of writing/critical thinking skills prior to the interview.

Applicants will be evaluated on:

The first phase (60 points)

• Academic performance (consideration of GPA, difficulty of courses taken, and consistency of grades over 3 years of high school – 20 points)
• Community service and volunteer activities (consideration of the number of organizations served, intensity and longevity of service, and leadership qualities demonstrated in the service – 15 points)
• Personal statement of goals and essay (consideration of grammar, overall presentation, clarity of goal statement, and community and civic pride link – 10 points)
• School activities, sports, and work experience (leadership roles in activities and/or sports, indicating a team spirit, working well with others, and commitment and drive; consistent work history, dependability, and works well with others – 15 points)

The second phase (40 points) is the finalist interview and impromptu essay and includes the following:

• Verbal communication skills/ability to respond in an impromptu manner (clear expression of finalist’s thoughts and ideas with proper grammar and speech, demonstrates substantive knowledge on topics addressed during the interview – 15 points)
• Civic pride and interest (expression of finalist’s commitment and dedication to the quality of their community through verbal communication and history of service – 10 points)
• Impromptu essay (grammar, 5 points; clarity of thought, 5 points; depth of thought, 5 points – 15 points)

In the event of a tie between two candidates, each committee member will confidentially vote on the most worthy candidate, and the selection will be made by the majority vote.

Essay

Statement of Aspirations and Educational Goals (not to exceed two typewritten, double-spaced pages)

Two Letters of Recommendation

• One from a teacher
• One from someone who is not related to the applicant and is not a school official or Community Foundation Alliance Board or County Advisory Board member

Completion of the FAFSA

Official Grade Transcript

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