DCF: 2026 Lilly Endowment Scholarship Applications Available Online

Two, full-tuition scholarships are available for 2026.

(Dearborn County, Ind.) - High school seniors can now apply for the 2026 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship (LECSP) by going to www.dearborncf.org. There are two scholarships available for 2026.

DCF administers the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship (LECSP) Program in Dearborn County for Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. The two recipients of the 2026 Lilly Endowment Scholarship receive full tuition, required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and 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. LECSP scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), which connects scholars with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and the LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI).

The two recipients of the 2026 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship will be announced in early December 2025. The application deadline for the 2026 LECSP is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

Dearborn County high school seniors can visit the DCF website and click on the scholarship page button and follow the directions to complete the online application for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. The deadline for all other 2026 DCF scholarships for high school seniors is Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Those applications are not yet available.

For more information on the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, check on the DCF website (dearborncf.org) or call the Foundation at (812) 539-4115.

Lilly Endowment Inc. created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1997-1998 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling more than $505 million. More than 5,300 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception. 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