LA PORTE COUNTY, IN — The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is available on the Unity Foundation website from August 9 to September 8, 2023.

The program, administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and locally in La Porte County by Unity Foundation will provide two area students with four-year, full tuition scholarships to an accredited Indiana college or university of their choice and an annual stipend for required books and equipment.

To be eligible, students must: be a resident of La Porte County; graduate by June 30, 2024, from an accredited high school that serves La Porte County; intend to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an eligible college or university in Indiana; have a GPA (unweighted) of at least 3.75 as of the beginning of their senior year of high school and submit a complete online application at uflc.net/scholarships/lilly by the deadline.

“Receiving the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is a privilege and an honor for a student that far exceeds its monetary value. A selection committee, comprised of volunteers from throughout the county, will seek to recommend the two most outstanding La Porte County students among those who apply,” said Shannon Walker, Unity Foundation Vice President.

Applications will be evaluated based on academic achievement, demonstrated service to others, leadership ability, commitment and motivation to succeed, and to a lesser extent, financial need. A committee will interview finalists before recommending two students to the Independent Colleges of Indiana, who make the final selection.

The primary purposes of the program 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.

Over the past 25 years, 72 La Porte County students and their families have benefitted from this generous scholarship program, totaling more than $4.8 million. “We are proud of the academic and professional success of all our Lilly Endowment Community Scholars. We are especially proud of those who have returned to the area as adults and are now giving back to La Porte County in a variety of ways,” said Maggi Spartz, Unity Foundation President.

 Since 1992, Unity Foundation of La Porte County has served donors, nonprofits and local communities. As La Porte County’s community foundation, it manages $40 million in assets, administers more than 350 charitable funds, and has distributed more than $23 million through direct grants and scholarships. Unity Foundation’s mission is to strengthen La Porte County now and forever by building permanent endowments; providing leadership; offering philanthropic vehicles for everyone; and being a catalyst for social and economic vitality. For more information, please visit uflc.net or call 219-879-0327.

 Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ 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 29 private, nonprofit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ over 22,000 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of over $5 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.