The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is available in Porter County through the Porter County Community Foundation (PCCF). Three students will receive the scholarship beginning with the 2027-2028 school year.
Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) awards may be used for otherwise unreimbursed full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and 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 through PCCF, has benefited 106 Porter County students since its creation for the 1997-98 school year totaling more than $7 million in aid.
“This scholarship opens doors and helps students achieve their educational goals,” said Bill Higbie, PCCF President and CEO. “It is a privilege to support remarkable young people who have demonstrated excellence in and out of the classroom.”
To be eligible, an applicant must be a current high school student and a resident of Porter County; graduate from an accredited Indiana high school 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 submit a complete application by noon central time on August 28, 2026. The application must be submitted online and is available at https://pccf.gives/scholarships/.
Applications will be narrowed down by each high school, and PCCF’s scholarship committee will interview finalists on October 27, 2026. Applications are evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria: academic excellence, leadership and engagement in school activities, and community involvement. Three finalists will be nominated, and their names will be submitted to ICI for final selection. Scholarship recipients will be notified by PCCF in December.
The primary goals of the 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 Porter County Community Foundation collaborates with community members to support their favorite causes by creating and managing permanent endowment funds that make it possible for generosity to last forever. Since 1996, PCCF has awarded over $55 million in grants and scholarships to organizations and students in our community. To learn more about how you can make a lasting difference for your favorite causes, contact PCCF at 219-465-0294 or visit the Foundation online at pccf.gives.
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.
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.
Last year’s Porter County recipients of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship were Sophia Ho (left), Ashlyn Gentry, (center) and Katherine Newbanks (right).