Online Applications for Adult Scholarships accepted starting Sept. 1

Each student selected receives up to a $2,500 scholarship award

Online applications for adult scholarship awards for spring semester 2022 opened Sept. 1 on The Community Foundation of Macon County (CFMC) website at maconcountygives.org/adult-scholarships. Applicants must be Macon County adults/nontraditional students seeking to complete college degrees or training at Millikin University or Richland Community College after interruptions in their education. Adult scholarship awards of up to $2,500 per applicant help fund two- and four-year degrees, master’s degrees or vocational training. Deadline to apply for 2022 spring semester awards is Nov. 1.

“It is exciting to offer a scholarship for adults who are seeking better career or work opportunities,” says CFMC Scholarship Coordinator Kathy Carter. “These students usually have bills to pay and family to support while also trying to pay for school.”

Eligibility requirements:

• Applicants must be Macon County residents who are age 24 or older.
• Applicants must demonstrate legal residency in Macon County for at least the past year. Documentation such as housing receipts, utility bills, tax forms or a voter's registration card may be used to verify residency.
• Selected applicants must register to attend Richland Community College or Millikin University.
• Applicants must have earned a high school diploma or GED and have a gap of at least three years before pursuing an associate degree or continuing with a bachelor's or master's degree. Applicant must have three-year breaks between degrees reflected through transcripts. Each applicant who previously received an adult scholarship, including for Fall 2021, are exempt from the three-year gap stipulation and eligible to apply for consecutive semesters.
• Financial need is considered when determining award recipients. Applicants must provide relevant financial documents for The Community Foundation of Macon County to review, including a completed FAFSA form (available at fafsa.gov).

The awards may be used to pay for tuition, course/program-related fees and/or books. Selected applicants may apply for successive semesters of scholarship support.

Beginning this year, The Community Foundation of Macon County has committed to providing $38,000 in annual funding for this new program, which is distributed for spring and fall semester scholarship cycles. In April, the first nontraditional student recipients, five Decatur residents, each received $2,500 in scholarship awards for fall semester 2021.

“This is an ongoing need for our community,” says Natalie Beck, CFMC president. “Although these learners have the drive and desire to achieve their educational goals, many don’t have the funding to make it happen. Helping them attain the knowledge and skills they seek helps these nontraditional students and our entire community move forward.”

For more information about the adult scholarship program or the application process, call CFMC Scholarship Coordinator Kathy Carter at 217-220-1363 or email kcarter@maconcountygives.org.