The 2026 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available in Vanderburgh County through the Vanderburgh Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation Alliance. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide and three scholarships in Vanderburgh 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 Vanderburgh County through the Vanderburgh Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation Alliance, 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 Vanderburgh Community Foundation. Visit vanderburghcf.org/lilly-endowment-community-scholarship-program for complete information regarding the Vanderburgh County application criteria. Students can learn more about the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Vanderburgh County and apply for this scholarship by visiting the Vanderburgh Community Foundation website. Applications must be completed and submitted by August 25, 2025, to be considered. Applications will be evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria: academic ability, community activities, extracurricular activities/employment, honors and awards, personal statement and goals, application essay, finalist impromptu essay, and finalist interview. Six finalists will be nominated by the Vanderburgh 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 $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. Vanderburgh Community Foundation is again pleased to offer LECSP for its 29th year in Vanderburgh County. “The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program is more than a financial award—it's an investment in the future leaders of our communities. We’re honored to support the next generation as they begin their journey toward higher education and meaningful impact,” said Melinda Waldroup, Chief Program Officer.

The Vanderburgh Community Foundation awarded more than $198,000 in Community Good grants to 16 nonprofit organizations through our 2025 Community Good Grants Program! Congratulations to the 2025 Community Good Grants Recipients! $33,000 – ECHO Housing Corporation To support the Collective Action Network. $23,400 – Ozanam Family Shelter To purchase dressers and mattresses for the Ozanam Family Shelter. $20,000 – Aurora To support the Street Outreach Program. $20,000 – Immigrant Welcome and Resource Center To support the New Americans Case Manager services. $15,000 – Evansville Wartime Museum To support education programs for K–12 students and senior citizens in Vanderburgh County. $15,000 – Lampion Center To support hope and healing through high-quality mental health therapy services. $10,000 – Evansville Christian Life Center To support the Evansville Christian Life Center Food Pantry. $10,000 – HOPE of Evansville To support the Foreclosure Prevention Program. $10,000 – The Isaiah 1:17 Project To support building communities where every child has a loving, safe family. $10,000 – The Salvation Army – Evansville Corps To support the Pathway to Hope program. $7,000 – Meals on Wheels of Evansville To support homebound meal delivery services. $6,500 – Little Lambs To support the "Building a Community of Safe, Healthy Children" services. $5,260 – Trades for Tomorrow To support field trips for students enrolled in Vanderburgh County schools. $5,000 – Albion Fellows Bacon Center To enhance exterior security. $5,000 – Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites To support Native American Week activities at Angel Mounds. $3,500 – Sleep in Heavenly Peace – Evansville Chapter To support the "No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town!" program, which provides beds for local children. Grants are made possible by Community Good Unrestricted Funds and Field of Interest Funds, which support a wide variety of needs in Vanderburgh County. Charles & Frances Crawford and Beth Ann Mosier Fund – Vanderburgh Friends of Vanderburgh County Fund German American Bancorp Community Fund – Vanderburgh Heritage Federal Community Good Fund of Vanderburgh County Jeff & Tricia Hollander Henning Family Community Good Endowment Fund John DeWitt Browning Community Good Fund Rebecca J. Dorr Endowment Fund Robert J. and Judy Decker Wargel Community Good Endowment Fund Tank Family Community Good Endowment Fund Vanderburgh Special Project Fund Welcoming Indiana’s Next Generation (WING) Endowment Fund Fund Health and Human Services in Vanderburgh County James A. McCarty Fund for the Arts Saleta Evans Memorial Fund