Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship: Indiana's Hidden Full-Ride

Did you know Indiana is the only state with a community foundation in every county? That means no matter where you are in Indiana, there's a local community foundation in your backyard — and one of them is connected to one of the most generous scholarship programs in the state.

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) offers around 145 scholarships each year across 92 counties in Indiana. Each county is allotted at least 1 scholarship, with larger counties receiving more based on population.

What It Covers

The LECSP is a generous scholarship that covers full tuition, fees, and books (up to $900) for any 4-year public or private nonprofit college/university in Indiana. However, it does not cover room and board.

How Selection Works

Considering applying for the LECSP? The way it works is that each community foundation in its respective county will nominate finalists from the initial application pool. Then, Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) will make the final selection for recipients. This typically happens in December. Here's a list of all community foundations in Indiana so you can find yours.

The Track Record

From their most recent records, the Lilly Endowment started the LECSP in '97-98 and has continually supported the program with tuition grants. So far, more than $505 million has been distributed to more than 5,400 Indiana students.

The program's stated goals:

Increase educational outcomes in Indiana

Showcase the critical role of the Indiana community foundations in their communities

Help scholarship recipients better their local communities and ultimately, improve the quality of life in Indiana

How to Apply

Here's the part most write-ups skip. You don't apply through Lilly Endowment or ICI — you apply through the community foundation in your county. That's why the list above matters: find your county, visit that foundation's site, and look for its LECSP application.

A few things to know going in:

You have to live in the county where you're applying and be on track to graduate from an accredited Indiana high school, headed to an eligible Indiana college or university. Many counties also set a minimum GPA and weigh financial need, so read your foundation's page carefully.

Deadlines are early. Most county applications open in summer and close somewhere between late August and mid-September — well before most other scholarship deadlines. Don't wait too long to apply!

Looking for more Indiana scholarships with less competition? Browse Indiana's community foundations — including the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and dozens of others that administer this award and many more local scholarships most students never find.