Corrin Combs, a student at Winamac Community High School in Pulaski County, said she is relieved and grateful that—thanks to the continued generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc.—her college dreams are coming more clearly into view.
She plans to attend Purdue University, and the Community Foundation of Pulaski County is pleased to announce Combs—a standout student-athlete and the daughter of Micah and Kari Combs—as the recipient of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Pulaski County.
Combs was one of 17 students from four of the schools serving Pulaski County residents to complete the intensive application. Applicants from Winamac Community, West Central, North-Judson, and Culver Community schools applied for the highly competitive scholarship renowned for producing Lilly Endowment Community Scholars who prioritize community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.
“The Lilly Endowment has been quite generous to our county since their highly competitive scholarship program began in 1998,” said Leeann Wright, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Pulaski County—which builds resources, engages people, and inspires generosity to enrich lives in Pulaski County, Indiana. “The Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1997-98 school year. Grant funding since then, in excess of $490 million, has supported more than 5,300 Indiana students who have received scholarships through the program. We are proud of all our applicants and finalists this year, and we’re delighted to present this year’s award to Corrin. She is a fantastic young lady!”
Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides 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.
In determining Pulaski County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholar nominees, consideration was given to Academics, Community Leadership, and Character and Values by the Community Foundation of Pulaski County’s Scholarship Selection 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.
Raising the academic bar
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.
Lilly Endowment Inc., an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr., 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 of Indiana.
Since 1997, Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) 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.