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Community Foundation of Noble County Awards $20,000 Grant to Impact Institute for Welding Booths

The Community Foundation of Noble County is pleased to announce the award of a $20,000 grant to the Impact Institute to support the purchase of new welding booths for its expanding career training programs. This funding will help Impact Institute enhance its educational infrastructure, enabling more students to pursue careers in the high-demand manufacturing sector.

The Impact Institute, established in 1969, offers 13 career training programs to high school juniors and seniors from 13 partner high schools. These programs are designed to either prepare students for immediate employment or to further their education and training. In addition to serving high school students, Impact provides adult basic education services, helping individuals achieve high school equivalency and connecting them with employment and training opportunities.

The grant from the Community Foundation of Noble County will be used as part of a larger project to transform two vacant retail spaces in the Fairview Plaza in Kendallville into modern classrooms and shops for the welding and machining programs. The new welding booths will be designed to maximize both workspace and learning opportunities, addressing the Institute’s critical need for expanded capacity.

With this expansion, the Institute will be able to increase enrollment in both the welding and machining programs, provide a safer and more conducive learning environment, and introduce new equipment and technologies that meet industry standards.

The overarching goals of this project are to serve more youth and adult learners by expanding program capacity, enhancing the quality of the learning environment to achieve better student outcomes, and aligning educational offerings with industry needs by incorporating additional equipment and technologies. Additionally, the project aims to attract more students to the welding and machining programs, provide a safer learning and working environment, and strengthen partnerships with organizations like Freedom Academy and Ivy Tech.

The expansion is expected to have a significant impact on the local economy by increasing the number of students completing programs with industry-recognized certifications, thus better meeting the demand for skilled workers in the manufacturing sector. Noble County, recognized as one of the top five counties in the nation for manufacturing job concentration, will benefit greatly from this investment in its future workforce.

For more information about the grant or the work of the Community Foundation of Noble County, please contact Jazmin Herrera at 260-894-3335 or Jazmin@CFnoble.org

About the Community Foundation of Noble County:

The Community Foundation of Noble County enhances life in the region by connecting donors with community needs and making impactful grants. Since 1991, it has catalyzed positive change, supporting education, senior issues, childcare, economic development, and more. As a 501(c)(3) public charity, its mission is to improve life in Noble County by addressing local issues and leveraging donor support to drive meaningful change.

Pictured left to right: Kenny Kill (CFNC Board President), Welding Instructors, Rex Rawles and Clay Moore, & Jazmin Herrera (CFNC Program Director)

The 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application will be 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 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 2025 and receive their diploma no later than June 30, 2025;
• intend to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an eligible college or university in Indiana; and
• meet the criteria specific to their local community foundation.

Criteria for Noble County’s 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship

To apply, students must be a high school senior residing in Noble County.  Applicants will be required to complete three essays, submit two references, and must have a high school grade point average of at least a 3.80 on a 4.00 scale at time of application.  Applicants may not round up their GPA. Additionally, applicants must show evidence of community service, volunteerism, extracurricular activities, any work experience, and leadership roles.

Students can learn more about the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Noble County and apply for this scholarship by visiting www.CFNoble.org. From the scholarship tab, click on the  Applications must be completed and submitted by Thursday, September 5, 2025, at 11 pm to be considered.

Ten students will be invited to an interview on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, to begin at 6 pm at the office of the Community Foundation of Noble County, 103 W. Third Street, Ligonier, IN. Students should arrive between 5:30 pm and 5:45 pm. One finalist will be nominated by the Community Foundation of Noble County and their name will be submitted to ICI for final selection. The scholarship recipient will be notified in December.

On July 15th click here begin the application process. Or visit www.cfnoble.org click on the “Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship” tab from the “Scholarships” drop down menu to begin the application process.

Community Foundation of Noble County is again pleased to offer LECSP for its 28^th year in Noble County.  “We are excited to be a part of this opportunity provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.” said Jennifer Norris, Dir. of Communications and 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 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.

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