The 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available in Allen County through the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide, with five available in Allen County. LECSP scholarships may be used for otherwise unreimbursed full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 annually. The special allocation may cover the required books and equipment costs 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 Allen County through the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, is open to all Indiana residents who graduate from an accredited Indiana high school by 2026 and receive their diploma no later than June 30, 2026, 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.
Students can learn more about the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Allen County — and apply for it online — or contact their high school guidance counselor. Student applications must be completed and submitted by September 9 at 11:59 PM. Guidance counselors must submit their portions by September 12 at 11:59 PM.
Applications will be evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria: applicants must be a resident of Allen County, Indiana; be recommended by their high school; graduate during the 2025–26 school year with a diploma from an accredited high school in Allen County; successfully complete the Indiana Core 40 degree program or higher; have applied to an accredited public or private college or university in Indiana in pursuit of a full-time course of study by the start of the fall 2026 semester; have a GPA of 3.0 or higher; and demonstrate financial need.
The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne will nominate five finalists, who will be submitted to ICI for final selection. Scholarship recipients will be notified in December 2025.
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.