LAGRANGE – The LaGrange County Community Foundation will open applications for the 2027 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship on Monday, August 3, 2026.
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide, including one scholarship to a graduating senior from LaGrange County. The program, administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), is offered locally through the LaGrange County Community Foundation.
The scholarship provides full tuition, required fees, and up to $900 annually for required books for four years of full-time undergraduate study leading to a bachelor’s degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Graduate from a LaGrange County public high school by June 30, 2027;
- Be a resident of LaGrange County;
- Have a minimum of cumulative GPA of 3.75; and
- Plan to enroll full-time in a bachelor’s degree program at an accredited Indiana college or university in the fall of 2027.
Applications will be evaluated on academic achievement, leadership, service to others, motivation to succeed, employment history, extracurricular involvement, and essay responses. Applicants must also submit two recommendations: one from a teacher and one from a community member.
Applications are available at LCCF.net/Lilly-Scholarship and must be submitted by Thursday, September 10, 2026, at 4:00 p.m.
“The Community Foundation supports the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program because we believe investing in local students is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen our communities,” said Beth Retterbush, Community Foundation Scholarship and LIFE Program Manager. “Every year, outstanding young people from the county’s three high schools demonstrate remarkable academic achievement, leadership, and service. The Lilly Scholarship is more than an award – it’s a life-changing opportunity that can create opportunities for generations.”
The Community Foundation’s Lilly Scholarship Advisory Committee will review applications in September and select five finalists. Finalists will be announced in early October and invited to attend a Scholarship Workshop on October 6, 2026, where they will complete an impromptu essay and receive guidance on the interview process.
Finalists will participate in Interview Day on October 20, 2026, at the LaGrange County Community Foundation. Each finalist will complete a personal interview with the Lilly Scholarship Advisory Committee and present a five- to seven-minute digital presentation.
Following the interviews, the Community Foundation will nominate one graduating senior to ICI for final approval as LaGrange County’s 2027 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. The recipient will be announced in early December.
The four remaining finalists will each receive the Lambright Leadership Scholarship, a renewable scholarship providing $1,000 annually for up to four years.
Since 1998, forty-five LaGrange County students have been named Lilly Endowment Community Scholars. The Community Foundation is pleased to offer the LECSP for its 30th year in LaGrange County.
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is the result of a statewide initiative provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education. 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.