Community Scholarship Program
Applications are open now through January 20, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
Spencer County
Community Foundation
The Community Foundation is a charitable resource devoted to our local community. We help people make meaningful gifts that improve life in Spencer County, Indiana today and for generations to come.
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Greater Good Together
The Spencer County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Community Foundation Alliance, a network of nine community foundations serving counties in southwestern Indiana. The Alliance provides management and administrative expertise to county-wide community foundations, empowering each to promote philanthropy, build endowment and improve wellbeing in our local communities. Learn more!
Recent News
Many of our donors have chosen to honor their loved ones, communities, high schools, colleges, and professions by establishing scholarship funds through their local Community Foundations in Daviess, Gibson, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick Counties. These funds support the annual Community Scholarship programs, providing valuable opportunities for students in Southwest Indiana. Thanks to their contributions, applications are being accepted now, with a deadline of Monday, January 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. "We are excited to once again provide scholarship opportunities to students in our Southwest Indiana region,” says Melinda Waldroup, Chief Program Officer at the Community Foundation Alliance. “By offering these scholarships, we are not only investing in individual students but also in the future of our communities. We encourage all eligible students to apply and take a step towards achieving their educational and career goals." Students may apply for one or more scholarships if they meet the eligibility requirements and selection criteria established by donors. Details about each scholarship and the application are posted on the website at communityfoundationalliance.org/scholarships. Each scholarship is unique and supports students with a variety of backgrounds, educational goals, and economic statuses. Awards are made without regard to race, creed, color, sex, religion, or national origin and are based on a competitive process that may consider academic achievement, extracurricular activities, personal aspirations, educational goals, and financial need. The deadline to apply is Monday, January 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Learn more and apply today!
Grants totaling $10,000 were awarded to eight organizations serving Spencer County, by the Women’s Fund of Spencer County, held by the Spencer County Community Foundation. Grant Recipients: Holly’s House: $1,500 for the Preventing Violence through Education program Dale Women’s Organization: $800 for back-to-school supplies for Spencer County students in need Memorial Hospital Foundation: $1,500 for the Patient Assistance program for Spencer County women Isaiah 1:17 Project: $1,500 for the Hopes and Dreams for Children in Spencer County program Deaconess Hospital Foundation: $2,200 for the Mobile Mammography Outreach program in Spencer County Boys and Girls Club of Evansville: $1,000 for the SMART Girls program at Rockport Elementary School Mariah Hill Foundation: $500 for baby changing stations at the new community building Lincoln Hills Development Corporation: $1,000 for community outreach and free health insurance enrollment assistance for Spencer County children and families The Women’s Fund of Spencer County committee reviewed grant requests and made recommendations to the Spencer County Community Foundation. The types of charitable activities that were considered through this grant program were arts and culture, community development, education, health, human services, environment, recreation, and youth development projects and programs. This Fund was established in the fall of 2006, dedicated to supporting programs that give opportunities, encouragement, knowledge, and hope to the Spencer County community. “The Women’s Fund of the Spencer County Community Foundation is delighted to offer these grants,” says Joy Zook, chair of the steering committee. “I firmly believe we stayed on target with our mission when selecting these eight local organizations as recipients.” For more information about the Women’s Fund of Spencer County, contact Rachael Goldsberry, Regional Director of Development at rgoldsberry@communityfoundationalliance.org, or call 812.649.5724.
The 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available in Spencer County through the Spencer County Community Foundation. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide and one scholarship in Spencer 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 Spencer County through the Spencer County Community Foundation, 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. Visit https://www.spencercountycf.org/lilly-endowment-community-scholarship-program for complete information regarding Spencer County’s application criteria. Students can learn more about the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Spencer County and apply for this scholarship by visiting https://www.spencercountycf.org/lilly-endowment-community-scholarship-program . Applications must be completed and submitted by August 28, 2024, 11:59 p.m. to be considered. Applications will be evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria: Academic Performance, Activities, Leadership Roles, Family and Personal Statement, Essays, and Interview. Three finalists will be nominated by the Spencer County Community Foundation, and their names will be submitted to ICI for final selection of the recipients. Scholarship recipients will be notified in December. Lilly Endowment created LECSP for the 1997-98 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling more than $490 million. More than 5,300 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. Spencer County Community Foundation is again pleased to offer LECSP for its 28th year in Spencer County. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to administer the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Spencer County. This scholarship opportunity is truly life-changing for students,” says Melinda Waldroup, Chief Program Officer for the Community Foundation Alliance.
