The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’ (CFNIL) scholarship application deadline is a little over two weeks away. While the deadline is closing in, there’s still time for students to complete the application. Yes, even if you haven’t started yet.

CFNIL will accept scholarship applications until 5 p.m. on February 1, 2018. CFNIL has 84 different scholarships that will award more than $225,000 to local students this year for a wide range of students including, graduating high school seniors and current college students in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago Counties; non-traditional students; students with financial need; student athletes; students of color; and students pursuing careers in teaching, STEM, business, fire science, and healthcare. Some scholarships are renewable for up to four years. The diversity of scholarship offerings reflects the diversity of CFNIL’s donors and the communities it serves.

CFNIL encourages all students to apply, but it is specifically seeking applicants for the following scholarships:

• Amber Huber Memorial Scholarship for a graduating senior at Byron High School who has made a positive contribution to the high school track and/or cheerleading program
• Buster Lindsay Memorial Scholarship for student athletes from Jefferson High School
• Early Childhood Educators Scholarship for students who are pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood or a childcare director qualification
• Hazel Mortimer Hyde Memorial Conservation NSDAR Scholarship for graduating seniors within Winnebago County to pursue an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in a conservation-related field
• Hegel Family Soccer Scholarship for Hononegah High School soccer players who have put in extra work on and off the field that has resulted in the betterment of their team and community
• May-Cassioppi Scholarship for swimmers and divers from Guilford High School
• Mike Lindberg Memorial Scholarship for graduating seniors at North Boone High School, District #200
• Paul & Ruth Neidhold Business Scholarship for graduating high school seniors from Harvard High School who plan to pursue a degree in business
• Randall Blank Memorial Scholarship for students pursuing a college education in Police Science or a related field
• Roger Ekstrom Memorial Scholarship for graduating seniors from Guilford High School who were members of the golf team
• Students with Disabilities Scholarship for students with physical disabilities within Boone and Winnebago Counties
• Susan Kay Munson Gilmore Scholarship for graduating high school seniors from Guilford or Mendota High Schools who are pursuing a vocational career
• William J. Galaway Library & Information Science Scholarship for individuals who are pursuing a career as a school or public librarian

Applications are read and scored by committees of volunteers who use a “blind” review process. The scholarship committees then make recommendations to CFNIL’s Board of Trustees. Scholarship recipients are announced in late April. Awards are sent directly to the college or university the recipient will be attending.

All scholarship applications must be submitted through CFNIL’s Web Portal. (You can learn about using the Web Portal by watching this video.) Once registered, students answer questions about their academics, background, and extracurricular activities. From these answers, applicants will be automatically matched to all scholarships for which they are eligible. Last year, the average applicant was eligible for more than 3 scholarships. Most scholarships award between $500 and $2,500, but a few award significantly more. For example, the Howard D. Colman Scholarship awards up to $32,500 over four years for students pursuing careers in engineering, computer science, applied science or a comparable technology field.

Interested students should visit cfnil.org/scholarships to learn more.