Scholarship Timeline

See below for step-by-step details on how to apply for 2025 scholarship awards.

SCHOLARSHIP TIMELINE – GRADUATING SENIORS

The Heart of Illinois Community Foundation (HICF) online scholarship application portal for Scholarships for Graduating High School Seniors for Fall Semester 2025 opens January 1, 2025. The portal will remain open to receive applications for Fall Semester 2025 awards until March 1, 2025 (11:59 PM). Here are your step-by-step details on how to apply for 2025 Scholarship awards.

Before You Apply – Gather Your Materials

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION – Get started in November

Before you begin your application, you will want to secure your letters of recommendation – you will need two letters that meet the following criteria to apply:

  • One letter of recommendation from a teacher/instructor at your high school.
  • One letter of recommendation from a community member (this may be your pastor, employer, high school counselor, mentor, club/organization advisor, etc.) Letters from parents and relatives are not accepted.

Don’t delay your application process - be sure to ask early to allow your references to complete the letters of recommendation in a timely manner. When asking someone to write a letter for you, make sure you provide them with information about why you need a letter of recommendation and also characteristics and experiences you have that would be good for them to highlight in the letter. It is most helpful if these are also submitted on letterhead (where available) and also signed by the person who wrote it. Be sure it also contains the person’s contact information. You will need to upload these letters in a DOC or PDF form into the application.

FINANCES – Prepare in November

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – while this application normally opens in October, and there were delays during the last cycle, for this year the FAFSA is slated to open on December 1, 2024. If you plan to apply for student aid, please complete the FAFSA at https://studentaid.gov (and only do it from this official government site – other spam sites do exist, so be careful to go to the correct one, and be aware you should never be charged to complete the FAFSA). You and your parents will want to gather tax information from the previous year and have things together and accessible so you are ready to complete it when you log in. Visit studentaid.gov/articles/filling-out-fafsa/ to read about how to prepare and complete the FAFSA.

You will want to complete the FAFSA in a timely manner, as many colleges and universities will have earlier deadlines for any institutional aid and scholarships they offer, prior to completing our process. Verify with the Admissions and Financial Aid offices of the campus of your choice to be fully aware of their deadlines.

NOTE: You will need the Student Aid Report (SAR) in PDF form to upload to the financial information section of the application. Once your FAFSA is processed, you (the student) can log into your FAFSA, select the correct year, then click on View or Print your FAFSA Submission Summary. The next screen gives the option to print it or view the FAFSA as a pdf. At this point, you may save the pdf to have it ready to upload it onto the online scholarship application when you complete it. The FAFSA Student Aid Report document is approximately 5 to 8 pages or more in length. The Student Aid Index (SAI), which you will need for your scholarship application, is located on the first page of your FAFSA.

INVOLVEMENT & SERVICE – Get started in November/December

For many scholarship applications, you will provide information about your involvement in community service, employment experiences, extracurricular activities, honors and awards, athletics, leadership positions, special skills or training, etc. Now is the time to make a list of your involvements, noting when you were involved (period of time), how many hours you spent per week or served overall, if you held a leadership position (when and how long), and number of hours of community service you have accumulated (especially if it’s more than the required amount of hours required for graduation). Take stock of any other special experiences or skills you have, and note any honors or awards you have received during high school.

PREPARE YOUR DOCUMENTS

Before you begin your application, we recommend you also gather your other pieces of needed documentation –Proof of Residency and Academic Information.

Residency Requirements

You may need to show Proof of County Residency (Macon, Piatt, or Moultrie) for the past 12 (consecutive) months as part of the application. Your parents may need to provide this information if it’s requested:

Accepted documentation includes:

  • Housing receipts (from 12 months ago)
  • Utility bill (from 12 months ago)
  • Tax Forms
  • Voter's Registration Card

Academic Information

You will need to gather the following information to complete the Academic Information section of the application:

  • High School transcript (for seven semesters, from Freshman year through first semester Senior year – you can request this from your school counselor)
  • SAT or ACT or both scores
  • Cumulative GPA (Most scholarships have minimum GPA requirements)
  • Name of 2-yr or 4-yr College/University or Trade School you will attend (accredited institution within the United States).
  • Your major/field of study or Trade School program you plan to pursue.
  • Approximate cost of the College/University or Trade School you plan to attend.
  • Estimated graduation/completion date.

DRAFT YOUR ESSAY RESPONSE

The scholarship application requires an essay to be written. This One-Page Essay (written in essay format) should address and answer the following questions (at least one paragraph addressing each question within the overall essay):

  • What are your educational goals and how do you hope to achieve them while attending college/university/trade school?
  • What are your long-term or career goals/plans and what steps will you take to achieve them?
  • What personal characteristics or experiences qualify you to receive a scholarship?

Some specific scholarship applications may require an additional essay to be written in response to questions related to the scholarship. This is often included in the printed criteria for the individual scholarship, and can also be found within the essay section of the application.

Ready to Apply – Completing Your Scholarship Application Online

STEP ONE: ACCESS THE SCHOLARSHIP PORTAL (JANUARY 1)

Ready to get started? First, go to https://www.heartofillinois.org/scholarship and click the link for the Scholarship Application Portal. If you are a first-time applicant, on the login page click the Create New Account button and complete the required fields to create your account and login/password.

If you have applied before, please login to the portal using your account information (email + Password) - if you don't remember your password, click the Forgot Your Password link to reset it.

STEP TWO: BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION

Once you are logged in, you will be able to start the process of applying for scholarships. Please be sure to fully complete all required sections and required fields, also uploading DOC/PDF files for requested documentation (no screenshots or image files please). You will complete the eligibility section once, but you will need to complete separate applications for each scholarship you are eligible to apply for (you can however copy your information from one application to the next).

  • Complete the Personal Information & Eligibility Acceptance section – Responses on the eligibility form help determine if you qualify for a scholarship and which scholarships are available for you to apply for.
  • Complete the Academic Information & Extracurricular Activities/Service section of the application (Enter the required academic information and upload your academic documentation in this section.)
  • Complete the Financial Information section of the application. (You will upload your FAFSA Submission Summary into the application and enter your Student Aid Index (SAI) number here – if not utilizing FAFSA, please upload your Tax Return here.)
  • Complete the essay response(s). Upload or include your essay response(s) into the application.
  • Upload Letters of Recommendation. Upload your letters of recommendation where indicated.
  • Complete the Photo Release Waiver (accept or deny).

STEP THREE: SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

After reviewing all items on your application for completion and accuracy, complete the Electronic Signature, select the date, and click SUBMIT.

The Scholarship Application deadline (for Fall Semester 2025 awards) is March 1, 2025 by 11:59 PM. You must submit completed applications by that deadline to be considered. Late applications will NOT be accepted.

Prior to the deadline, once we have received your submitted application(s), it will be briefly reviewed. We will contact you if there are concerns (incorrect file type or documentation). Additionally, if you have questions regarding your application during the process, please contact Andrea Gerhard, HICF Director of Scholarships & Grant Administration at agerhard@heartofillinois.org or by calling 217-429-3000.

Next Steps – What to expect after submitting your application

WHILE YOU WAIT

After the application deadline (March 1 at 11:59 PM), our scholarship committees and reviewers get to work – they evaluate and review all applications received by the deadline, reading and scoring the applications based on the criteria during the review process. The committee members will begin submitting their reviews of each application by mid-March.

NOTIFICATION PROCESS

Once all applications have been reviewed, awards will be determined for those receiving a scholarship. Depending on the scholarship, often High School Guidance Counselors and recipient parents may be notified first. Some scholarship recipients may not be known to the students until the school’s award ceremony. Once aware, Scholarship recipients will additionally be notified of their total award via letter and email along with additional instruction about award acceptance.

AWARD ACCEPTANCE FOR SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Those who receive a scholarship award will need to complete the assigned Award Acceptance and Follow-Up Forms in the scholarship portal by the specified due date for the particular process (due dates will be set following award decisions). For this you will need your Proof of Enrollment, Student ID, contact information for the Financial Aid department of your institution/program, and a formal Thank You letter written to the donor or other specified individual/organization.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARD DISTRIBUTION

Once the assigned Award Acceptance and Follow-Up Form has been fully completed by the recipient by the specified due date and approved by HICF, the scholarship award check will be processed (on the 1st/15th of the month) and HICF will mail it directly to the specified college/university/program (July/August if Award Acceptance and Follow-Up Form is complete and approved).

ADDITIONAL NOTES

We encourage you to do your research also - Visit your Institution’s website (University or College) or connect with their Foundation or Student Services office to learn about their available scholarships. Take time to talk with your current employer or parent’s employer to see if they offer scholarships or tuition reimbursement programs. Also talk with your guidance counselor and complete searches for other available scholarship opportunities.

QUESTIONS? Contact the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation at 217.429.3000.

Click here to download a printable copy of this timeline.

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