CoFo Announces 2 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Recipients
Community Foundation of
Grant County, Indiana, Inc.
505 West Third Street
Marion, Indiana 46952
| Press Release | |
| Contact: Hannah Yopp, Scholarship Solutions Manager Email: Hannah@GiveToGrant.org |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 12/18/2024 |
Community Foundation Announces Two Lilly
Endowment Community Scholarship Recipients
GRANT COUNTY — The Community Foundation of Grant County is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Grant County - Samuel Gonzalez and Nadira Balasundaram, both of Mississinewa High School. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.
“Samuel and Nadira stood out not only for their impressive academic achievements but also for their dedication to serving their community and demonstrating leadership in meaningful ways," said Dawn Brown, CEO at the Community Foundation. "Their commitment to making a positive impact exemplifies the qualities we seek in a Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, and we are proud to support their bright futures.”
Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years. The scholarship is for full-time undergraduate students leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), which connects both current scholars and alumni with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and Indiana Humanities.
"Being named a Lilly Endowment Community Scholar is an honor that means so much to me,” said Lilly Scholar Nadira Balasundaram. “As a recent member of this community, I have been deeply touched by the support and welcome I have been given by my peers, teachers, and the Community Foundation. In first moving to the US, I have seen firsthand the strength and resilience that come from building connections and fostering a sense of belonging within my community. This scholarship allows me to focus on my studies and pursue my passion for science diplomacy, bridging cultures and ideas to have a meaningful impact. I’m excited to represent this incredible community and contribute to making a difference locally and globally."
“As an immigrant who’s had to move around and leave behind his family and friends every time he moved to a new place,” said Lilly Scholar Samuel Gonzalez. “I’ve learned to hold the importance of family and community dear to my heart. I am so grateful for not only the opportunity granted to me by the Community Foundation but also what they stand for and what they look to ingrain in future generations. I’m excited to use this support from the Foundation to give back to my community in even greater ways.”
In determining Grant County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholar nominees, consideration was given to academic achievement, community involvement, and character by the Lilly Scholarship Committee. After the field of applicants was narrowed down, nominees were submitted to ICI, the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, which approves the final selection of scholarship recipients.
“Grant County is home to incredible students, including all six of our finalists for this year,” said Hannah Yopp, Scholarship Solutions Manager at the Community Foundation. “The Committee was beyond impressed in each Lilly interview they conducted.”
Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1997-98 school year. Since then, grant funding in excess of $490 million has supported more than 5,300 Indiana students who have received scholarships through the program.
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.
The Community Foundation of Grant County, Indiana, Inc. is an advocate for local philanthropy and is dedicated to improving the lives of people in the Grant County area. An effective steward of the community’s charitable resources since 1984, the Foundation works with donors to establish charitable funds and supports nonprofit organizations through a variety of grantmaking efforts. The Community Foundation connects people, resources, and causes to promote sustainable impact for the betterment of Grant County. Currently the Community Foundation holds over 400 charitable funds that support a variety of charities and charitable causes in Grant County. For more information, please visit www.GiveToGrant.org or call 765-662-0065.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana
Since 1997, Independent Colleges of Indiana has administered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program statewide with funding provided by Lilly Endowment. Founded in 1948, ICI serves as the collective voice for the state’s 29 private, nonprofit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ over 22,000 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of over $5 billion annually. Students at ICI colleges have Indiana’s highest four-year, on-time graduation rates, and ICI institutions produce 30 percent of Indiana’s bachelor’s degrees while enrolling 20 percent of its undergraduates.
