Scholarships for Students

Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Madison County is administered by the Madison County Community Foundation.

Madison County's Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is awarded to two students, who will be provided eight semesters of full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years of undergraduate study on a full time basis, leading to a baccalaureate degree at any Indiana public or private college or university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

In our selection process, applications will be reviewed by a committee of community members. Reviews are completed anonymously without disclosure of student or parent identity. Each Lilly finalist who is not selected as a recipient will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Madison County Community Foundation.

The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program 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.

Applications for 2026 are available through September 15. Contact Us for Help

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Eligibility Requirements (subject to change each year)

Madison County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is open to students:

Who are residents of Madison County AND are a student of a Madison County* school for 12 months prior to the date of application. *Except for students who reside in MC but attend Daleville or Madison-Grant.
Who are in the Top 15% (weighted GPA) of their class academically after six (6) semesters (end of Junior year)
Who will graduate from an accredited Indiana high school in 2026 and receive their diploma no later than June 30, 2026 (a high school is considered accredited for purposes of the program if it is accredited by the State Board of Education or by a national or regional accreditation agency that is recognized by the State Board of Education.)
Who intend to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an accredited public or private Indiana college or university.
Who complete the application in full and submits by the stated deadline of September 15, 2025.

Applicants will be evaluated on five criteria, each weighted as follows:

Community Leadership 30%
Academic Performance 20%
Extra-Curricular Activities 20%
Financial Need (based on AGI from IRS Form 1040) 20%
Essay 10%

The nine top scoring applicants, based on the number of finalists per school list, will be evaluated using the approved rubric and interviewed by a volunteer committee, comprised of MCCF board members and community members who adhere to a strict conflict of interest policy.

Application evaluation is done “blindly” therefore no personal information will be available to the committee to ensure a fair and unbiased evaluation process. Committee members are required to complete a score card online,the MCCF Vice President of Programs will complete a scoring composite of all applicants and reserve the “pre-interview subtotals” to be used in the event of a tie. Application scores also comprise 50% of the overall finalist total. Finalists are determined by the top application scores from each high school.

The number of finalists from each accredited high schools in the county are as follows:

Schools with class size above 300 students will have 2 finalists
Schools with class size 299-101 will have 1 finalist
Schools with class size under 100 will have one total (APA, Liberty Christian, Daleville, Madison-Grant)

Alexandria High School- 1 finalist
Anderson High School- 2 finalists
Anderson Preparatory Academy- 1 potential finalist
Elwood High School- 1 finalists
Frankton High School- 1 finalists
Lapel High School- 1 finalists
Liberty Christian High School- 1 potential finalist
Pendleton-Heights High School-2 finalists
Daleville High School - 1 potential finalist (MC residents only)
Madison-Grant High School - 1 potential finalist (MC residents only)

Interviews

In-person interviews will be held on the evening of Wednesday, November 5.

Interviews are scheduled to last 20 minutes and include questions from each member. Based on the following criteria, weighted equally:

Verbal Communication
Non-Verbal Communication
Content

Immediately following each interview, all Selection Committee members will complete the interview score rubric and score the candidate.

Finalist Round Application Score: 50%
Interview Score: 50%

The top two scores will be selected as the recipients.

Application Open Friday, August 15

Application Close Monday, September 15

Application Evaluations September 22- October 17

Notify Finalists October 22

Finalist Mock Interviews (optional) November 1

Finalist Interviews November 5

Recipient Notification Mid-December

2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars

Jaylin Hernandez

Anderson High School
Anderson, Indiana

Jaylin will be a first-generation college student, determined to make a lasting impact. Hernandez said in his scholarship application, “The reason I want to give back to my community is because I want to continue helping the younger generation succeed. There were people when I was young that I saw as role models; they encouraged and supported me. This makes me want to give back and be a positive role model for them.”

Austin Perny

Pendleton Heights HS
Pendleton, Indiana

Austin is a student athlete and has been actively involved in community service and is committed to continuing his education and making a difference. One of Austin’s goals is “to work for a company that aligns with my ideals and has a foundation of altruism and making a positive communal impact. Morality is at the core of everything I want to do, both in my career and out of it.”