Merit Based Scholarships

Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition scholarship that allows the recipients to attend an Indiana college or university of their choice, and is a result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education.

Who is eligible to apply for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship?
  • Kosciusko County residents who are a current high school senior and will receive their diploma from an accredited Indiana high school no later than June 30.
  • Must be intending to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an accredited public or private nonprofit college or university in Indiana.
  • Must be pursuing an academic and/or technical honors diploma at the end of their junior year of high school.
  • Must have a GPA of 3.8 of higher on a 4-point scale or 10.3 or higher on a 12-point scale at the end of their junior year of high school.

In Kosciusko County, the Community Foundation recommends two recipients of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship to Independent Colleges of Indiana for final selection.

Rick and April Sasso Family Scholarship Fund

This fund was established by Rick and April Sasso to provide graduates of Warsaw Community High School with up to the full amount of tuition for one year of study at any Indiana accredited nonprofit college or university. Past recipients will be given the opportunity to renew the scholarship each year for up to four years of undergraduate study. Rick Sasso is a graduate of Warsaw Community High School. He is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in spinal surgery and is the President of Indiana Spine Group. Together, Rick and April, have generously supported many charitable causes in Indiana, including projects in Warsaw and Winona Lake.

Who is eligible to apply for the Rick and April Sasso Family Scholarship Fund? 
  • High school senior who will graduate from Warsaw Community High School and receive a diploma no later than June 30.
  • Must be intending to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an accredited public or private nonprofit college or university in Indiana.
  • Must be pursuing an academic and/or technical honors diploma at the end of their junior year of high school.
  • Must have a GPA of 3.8 of higher on a 4-point scale or 10.3 or higher on a 12-point scale at the end of their junior year of high school.
Review & Selection Process 

Both scholarships utilize a “blind” review process, meaning selection committee members do not have access to applicant names or other identifiers when evaluating applications. Consideration by both committees is given to academic performance, extracurricular activities, community service, work experience, essay responses, and recommendations.

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship committee uses a weighted evaluation form giving highest consideration to the community service, extracurricular activities, and work experience reported by the applicant.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for either or both scholarship opportunities, visit our online scholarship portal and complete the Merit Based Scholarship Application. You will need to create an account the first time you apply. The application opens on August 1 and must be submitted by September 15 at 4:30 pm.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

  • Transcript: Your most recent high school transcript
  • SAT/ACT Scores (optional): Applicants may choose to provide test scores. If your reported scores are not on your transcript, you will be asked to provide separate documentation.
Please note: All documents must be uploaded as a .pdf or .jpg, except the photo must be uploaded as a .jpg.

MEET THE 2024 RECIPIENTS

We’re thrilled to announce 2024’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships recipients: Grant Krull and Allison Clark. These two hard-working, high-achieving high school seniors were selected through a blind review process. The scholarship allows them to attend any Indiana college or university tuition-free.

FAQ

The documents above can be easily uploaded by using a scanner or taking a picture with a smartphone. If you need help uploading documents, click on the How to Upload Required Attachments document in the Helpful Documents/Links section. If you need additional help, we are happy to provide this service free of charge during our office hours, M-F, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Please call 574-267-1901 to set up an appointment. Your guidance office or public library may also offer this service.

Applicant Tutorials

New to our application system? Watch these tutorials to learn about logging on, completing forms and more.

View the Application Portal Tutorials

Application & Deadlines

Non-Traditional Scholarships: Open Deadline

Traditional Scholarships: Deadline: March 1 @ 4:30 p.m., Application to open December 15

Merit Based Scholarships: Deadline: September 15 @ 4:30 p.m., Application to open August 1