Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship – Scholarship Opens July 15, 2026
Contact Information: Jennifer Norris, Jennifer@cfnoble.org 260.894.3335
The 2027 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available in Noble County through the Community Foundation of Noble County. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide and one scholarship in Noble County. LECSP scholarships may be used for otherwise unreimbursed full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year. The special allocation may cover the costs for required books and required 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 in Noble County through the Community Foundation of Noble County, is open to all Indiana residents who:
• graduate from an accredited Indiana high school by 2027 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
• meet the criteria specific to their local community foundation. Visit www.CFNoble.org for complete information regarding the Noble County application criteria.
Students can learn more about the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Noble County and apply for this scholarship by visiting www.CFNoble.org. Applications must be completed and submitted by Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 11 pm to be considered.
Applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:
school performance, community service and volunteerism, extracurricular activities/work experience, leadership roles, essays, references and interview. One will be nominated by the Community Foundation of Noble County and their name will be submitted to ICI for final selection of the recipient. The scholarship recipient will be notified in December.
Lilly Endowment created LECSP for the 1997-98 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling more than $505 million. More than 5,400 Indiana students have received Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships since the program’s inception.
The primary purposes of 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.
Community Foundation of Noble County is again pleased to offer LECSP for 30th year in Noble County. “We are excited to be a part of this opportunity provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.” said Jennifer Norris, Director Scholarships for the Community Foundation of Noble County.
The Community Foundation of Noble County was established in 1991 with the mission of improving the quality of life in Noble County by serving as catalyst for positive change, enabling donors to carry out charitable intent, and making grants.
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.
