Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program
The 2027 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is open! Applications are due on September 9, 2026, by 4:59 pm CT.
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program seeks to increase the number of Indiana residents who hold college degrees. Unity Foundation of La Porte County recommends applicants to Independent Colleges of Indiana, which is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., to award full-tuition scholarships to outstanding La Porte County students.
These scholarships will provide 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 leading to a baccalaureate degree at any public or private college or university in Indiana accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Read more about the 2026 recipients here.
Timeline
Applicant Selection Process
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recognizes students who have challenged themselves academically while also demonstrating leadership, service, resilience, and a genuine commitment to improving their communities. Academic performance, extracurricular involvement and work experience, service to others, financial circumstances, communication skills and essay responses are all considered during the selection process.
Applications are reviewed through a blind evaluation process, with identifying information redacted before being reviewed by a Selection Committee. The Committee is composed of La Porte County volunteers appointed by Unity Foundation. Selected finalists are then invited to participate in a personal interview with the committee.
Scores from the application and interview are combined, and Unity Foundation submits its two highest-scoring nominees to Independent Colleges of Indiana, which makes the final scholarship selections. Recipients will be notified in December 2026.
Eligible Applicants Must:
1. Reside in La Porte County;
2. Graduate by June 30, 2027, from an accredited Indiana high school in La Porte County, unless their high school attendance makes them ineligible in the other county;
3. Intend to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study beginning in the fall of 2027 at any accredited public or private college or university in Indiana;
4. Have a GPA (unweighted) of at least 3.75 at the beginning of their senior year of high school;
5. Submit a complete application by the deadline.
