Community Foundation awards record-breaking $3.4M in scholarships to 569 students

“This scholarship will help alleviate the financial burden of tuition and academic expenses,” said Heaven McCoy, who is currently earning a dual Master of Social Work and Master of Public Administration degree at Aurora University.

“Your investment in my education inspires me to keep striving toward my goals and to give back to the community in meaningful ways.”

McCoy is just one of 569 high school seniors, college, graduate and trade students, all residents of the Greater Aurora Area, the Tri-Cities and Kendall County, who just learned they earned a 2025-26 scholarship from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.

Collectively, the Community Foundation’s 2025-26 Scholarship Program will award a record $3.4 million over four years to 569 area students. See the full list of scholarship recipients at cffrv.org.

According to Lucas Plocinski, recipient of an Aurora Firefighters Scholarship in memory of Tony Schoen, an Aurora firefighter from 1985 until his death in 1991, “Receiving this scholarship is an incredible honor and a meaningful support to my educational journey. Knowing that this fund was created to honor the legacy of Tony Schoen makes it all the more special. His commitment to service — from his early efforts in founding the Emergency Medical Service of Yorkville to his career as a dedicated firefighter in Aurora — is truly inspiring. This scholarship not only eases the financial burden of my education but also connects me to Mr. Schoen’s legacy of community service and dedication. It motivates me to pursue my goals with the same sense of purpose and commitment that he demonstrated throughout his life.”

Plocinski, a senior at Batavia Senior High School, will attend Wheaton College in the fall.

“Last year, just over 500 Fox Valley-area students received over $3 million for use over the next four years through the Community Foundation’s scholarship program,” according to Beth Christoffel, director of scholarships, Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley. “This year, we awarded 569 scholarships totaling $3.4 million for use over the next four years. The average scholarship amount per year is $2,425. Our scholarship program continues to grow, and we are honored to help distribute this critical support for so many area residents pursuing higher education.”

Christoffel, along with fellow Community Foundation staff members and scholarship committee volunteers, look forward to attending more than a dozen local high school Senior Nights before the end of the school year to award scholarships in person.

Not all of this year’s scholars are right out of high school, however. More than a quarter (28%) of this year’s scholarships were awarded to returning, graduate, and nontraditional students. The gender split was 63% female and 36% male. Various scholarship types are available, including need-based, merit-based, and niche scholarships encouraging specific fields of study. For example, 45% of scholarships were awarded to students in the STEM field. Nearly 40% of all scholarships are renewable for up to four years.

“We received over 1,300 applications this year — another record — which makes the process highly competitive,” Christoffel said. “Some well-qualified students may not be selected one year, but we encourage them to apply again next year if they are eligible.”

While financial need is one important factor for some scholarships, academic achievement, community involvement, extracurricular activities, leadership experiences, and the strength of personal essays and a recommendation are also considered.

Since its founding in 1948, the Community Foundation has awarded over $30.7 million in scholarships to area residents. Each scholarship fund is conceived and funded by a different local donor, including individuals, families, local businesses, clubs and associations, who establish their own criteria to support a fellow Fox Valley resident’s pursuit of continued education.

The Community Foundation administers these funds on behalf of their donors, and also awards scholarships through its own discretionary scholarship fund.

A key reason for the continued growth of the Community Foundation’s scholarship program is how easy it is to apply. Every fall, the foundation encourages area students to complete just one application, which makes them eligible for one of hundreds of different scholarship funds to be awarded the following spring.

The application for 2026-27 academic year scholarships will be posted on the Community Foundation’s website in November 2025. The deadline to submit will be in January 2026. To learn more and apply, visit cffrv.org/scholarship-program.

Contact the Community Foundation to start your own scholarship fund

Scholarship committee members agree that all of the stories in the applications are amazing and they wish they could award a scholarship to every applicant. Clearly, the need is there and continues to grow each year.

The Community Foundation is always ready to help donors interested in starting their own scholarship fund. The deadline to have a scholarship included in the 2026-27 scholarship program is Sept. 1. To learn more, contact Julie Christman, president and CEO, at (630) 896-7800 or jchristman@cffrv.org.

About The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, the third largest community foundation in Illinois, is a nonprofit organization with nearly 700 funds and over $145 million in assets. The foundation is a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and other nonprofit organizations to establish permanent endowment and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.

In 2025, the foundation will award more than $3.4 million in scholarships to over 500 Fox Valley high school seniors, undergraduate and graduate students, and trade school students. Through the foundation’s discretionary grantmaking program, approximately $600,000 is also granted annually to support local nonprofit organizations doing critically important work to improve the quality of life in the Fox River Valley.

On average, the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley provides over $7 million in total combined grants annually. In sum, since the Community Foundation’s inception in 1948, more than $103 million has been provided to the community in the form of scholarships for students and grants to local nonprofit organizations.

For more information, visit cffrv.org or follow the foundation on social media: Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.