Receive

Scholarships

Scholarship funds offer hope to students and their families and increase their chance of academic and future financial success. CICF works with donors to create renewable scholarships of at least $1,000 annually, ensuring that support is available through degree attainment.

Every year, the need for scholarships is greater than the available resources. Tuition continues to rise faster than wages and inflation, federal education aid is stagnant, and aid increasingly comes in the form of loans (that must be repaid) instead of grants. Too many students don’t even begin college due to financial reasons, and those that do may be forced to drop out or take on the high burden of educational debt.

Three types of scholarship funds are administered through CICF:

  1. Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship - Lilly Endowment renewed its partnership to manage the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program with CICF and Legacy Fund in Marion and Hamilton County, respectively. The scholarships cover full tuition, required fees, and a book stipend of $900 per year for required books and equipment for four years of undergraduate study. To be eligible to apply for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, students must be nominated by their high school. For further information please contact your high school's guidance department.
  2. CICF's Common Application Scholarship – Students must apply through CICF's online application process for these scholarship opportunities. Common Application scholarships range from $500 to $20,000. To view the scholarships and their criteria available through CICF's Common Application, please review CICF's Scholarship Information Booklet.  Applications for the Common Scholarships will be made available on Dec. 15.
  3. External Scholarship - CICF holds the funds but the application process is administered by local schools, education foundations, and/or other organizations for these scholarships. To apply, students must contact the appropriate organization and/or their high school's guidance office. To view external scholarships and contact information, please review CICF's Scholarship Information Booklet.

During 2009-2010, CICF awarded over 271 new scholarships totaling more than $11 million. CICF manages more than 100 scholarship funds.

 

Individuals interested in helping students achieve degree attainment may contribute to a fund or create a named scholarship fund.