Foundations of East Chicago has consistently had a positive effect on the community through its support of various nonprofit organizations as well as individuals, particularly students.
One of the primary ways that FEC is able to show support for the citizens of East Chicago is through its distribution of scholarships. FEC offers scholarships to high school students who reside in the city of East Chicago. These students do not have to attend high school in East Chicago to receive the scholarships.
FEC also has a scholarship program for adults who are continuing their education after high school. The recipients of these scholarships must also be residents of East Chicago but do not need to be attending a college or university in the area.
Scholarship recipients are selected based on their academic success as well as their leadership characteristics and community involvement. Over the past seven years, FEC has been able to steadily increase the amount of funds allocated to its scholarship program.
For the 2007-2008 academic year, FEC gifted East Chicago residents with $68,500 in scholarship money. The year after that, the amount was increased to $91,000.
The increase in scholarship funds allows FEC to help even more students in East Chicago realize their dreams of a post-secondary education.
By the 2011-2012 school year, FEC was able to distribute $117,000 in scholarship funds to the citizens of East Chicago.
FEC awards scholarships of varying amounts to local students. The high school students receive scholarships of either $6,000, $2,500 or $1,500. In 2012, FEC also started a scholarship program for students who attend Ivy Tech in East Chicago. These scholarships are awarded in the amount of $3,400. The FEC scholarship for non-traditional students, adults planning to go back to school, is awarded in the amount of $1,000 while FEC book grants are a one-time gift of $500 to help students pay for books and supplies.
By 2013, FEC increased the amount of scholarship money offered to East Chicago residents to $136,200 and last year, in 2014, the organization broke records with the number of scholarship applicants it received. FEC awarded a total of $190,000 in scholarships.
