Perry County
Community Foundation
The Community Foundation is a charitable resource devoted to our local community. We help people make meaningful gifts that improve life in Perry County, Indiana today and for generations to come.
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Greater Good Together
The Perry County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Community Foundation Alliance, a network of nine community foundations serving counties in southwestern Indiana. The Alliance provides management and administrative expertise to county-wide community foundations, empowering each to promote philanthropy, build endowment and improve wellbeing in our local communities. Learn more!
Recent News
The 2026 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available in Perry County through the Perry County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation Alliance. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide and one scholarship in Perry County. LECSP scholarships may be used for otherwise unreimbursed full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year. The special allocation may cover the costs for required books and required 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. The program, administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and locally in Perry County through the Perry County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation Alliance, is open to all Indiana residents who: graduate from an accredited Indiana high school by 2026 and receive their diploma no later than June 30, 2026; intend to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an eligible college or university in Indiana; and meet the criteria specific to Perry County Community Foundation. Visit perrycountycf.org/lilly-endowment-community-scholarship-program for complete information regarding the Perry County application criteria. Students can learn more about the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in Perry County and apply for this scholarship by visiting the Perry County Community Foundation website. Applications must be completed and submitted by August 25, 2025, to be considered. Applications will be evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria: academic performance, school and community activities, leadership roles in activities, essays, special circumstances, and interview. Three finalists will be nominated by the Perry County Community Foundation, and their names will be submitted to ICI for final selection of the recipients. Scholarship recipients will be notified in December. Lilly Endowment created LECSP for the 1997-98 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling more than $505 million. More than 5,400 Indiana students have received Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships since the program’s inception. The primary purposes of LECSP 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. Perry County Community Foundation is again pleased to offer LECSP for its 29th year in Perry County. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to administer the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program in Perry County. This opportunity is truly life-changing for students,” said Emily Alvey, Regional Director of Community Engagement and Impact.
The Perry County Community Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2025 Community Good Grants Program. Nonprofit organizations serving Perry County are invited to apply now through Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Community Good Grants are awarded to charitable partners addressing a wide range of local needs. Funding is available to support programs and projects that make a meaningful impact in Perry County communities. Organizations can find detailed grant guidelines and submit their application online . For questions or assistance, please contact Emily Alvey, Regional Director of Community Engagement and Impact, at 812.547.3176 or ealvey@communityfoundationalliance.org. To learn more about the Perry County Community Foundation and stay updated on grant opportunities, follow us on Facebook .
The Perry County Community Foundation distributed more than $63,000 to 26 local Perry County students from its Community Scholarship Program. These scholarships are funded by generous donors who have established a scholarship fund with the Perry County Community Foundation. This year’s recipients were celebrated and recognized at the Rise & Shine Scholars event with fund founders, recipients, and parents. Congratulations to the Community Scholarship Program recipients! J. Matthew Moore Memorial Scholarship - Abby Mae Throgmorton, Cannelton High School Buehler Foods Scholarship - Addison Huber, Tell City High School Wendell and Loretta Werner Scholarship - Alden Marion, Tell City High School Perry County FOP Scholarship - Aubreigh Gogel, Perry Central High School Robert E. Boyles Scholarship - Bria Garrett, Cannelton High School John Marion Walker Scholarship - Caleb Gehlhausen, Perry Central High School Sam Reed Scholarship - Cambree Dupont, Tell City High School Sergeant Heather J. Glenn 338 Scholarship - Clara J Foertsch, Tell City High School Robert Ress Memorial Scholarship - Daelynn E Jacob, Tell City High School Branchville Correctional Facility Memorial Scholarship - Eli Underhill, Perry Central High School Charles S. (Blackie) and Rose H. Paulin Scholarship - Halie Michelle Biever, Purdue University Global Birch and Ruth Shafer Scholarship - Jada Etienne, Perry Central High School Loren and Bernice Lanman Scholarship - Jada Lindauer, Tell City High School Mildred Wempe Memorial Scholarship - Jada Lindauer, Tell City High School Cecil and Olive Foster Scholarship - Jadyn R. Schwartz, Perry Central High School Birch and Ruth Shafer Scholarship - Jazlyn Mahaney, Tell City High School Zachary Kleemann Memorial Scholarship - Jazlyn Mahaney, Tell City High School Rose Hazel Gabbert Paulin & Charles S. (Blackie) Paulin Scholarship - Joseph Mogan, Perry Central High School The Harriett & Don Neill "Perry County Values" Scholarship - Kallie Gayer, Perry Central High School Loren and Bernice Lanman Scholarship - Makayla Hulse, Cannelton City Schools Mildred Wempe Memorial Scholarship - Makayla Hulse, Cannelton City Schools Birch and Ruth Shafer Scholarship - Mallory King, Perry Central High School Gene and Christina Schwindel Scholarship for Perry Central High School - Naomie Delene Schultz, Perry Central High School York Family Scholarship - Reagan Borden, Perry Central High School Earl and Hazel Etienne Scholarship - Rose Jacob, Tell City High School Sam K. Oberhausen Memorial Scholarship - Rose Jacob, Tell City High School Stacey Peak Memorial Scholarship - Sarah Sander, Tell City High School Mark "Flash" Kleeman Memorial Scholarship - Savannah (Lucy) Whistle, Perry Central High School Jamon L. Burchett Memorial Scholarship - Savannah (Lucy) Whistle, Perry Central High School John Williams Memorial Scholarship - Savannah (Lucy) Whistle, Perry Central High School Old National Tell City Scholarship - Savannah (Lucy) Whistle, Perry Central High School Edgar and Evelyn Whitcomb Scholarship - Trista Jones, Perry Central High School Perry County 4-H Scholarship - Trista Jones, Perry Central High School Loren and Bernice Lanman Scholarship - Wyatt Sitzman, Perry Central High School
