Downers Grove Rotary offers music scholarships for high school seniors

Posted February 17, 2026 9:47 pm

By Dave Humphreys, Downers Grove Rotary

The Rotary Club of Downers Grove will award music scholarships this spring to high school seniors. Each year since 2009, the Rotary Club presents checks to deserving senior music students who live in Downers Grove or the District 99 attendance area.

Awards this year will include a Grand Award of at least $4,000 plus several additional cash awards.

Applications are due by Tuesday, March 17, 2026 and include a short video audition. Selected finalists will be interviewed virtually on Sunday April 12, 2026. The scholarship winners will be announced in May.

Online applications can be accessed and completed online at bit.ly/FormMusicRotary. For questions about the application, email musicscholarship@rotarygrovefest.com or call Dave Humphreys at (630) 968-5526.

These music scholarships are funded by proceeds from the annual Downers Grove Rotary GroveFest held each June in downtown Downers Grove, and the annual Thanksgiving Day Grove Express 5K.

The qualifications to apply for this scholarship are:

• Be a graduating senior attending a public, private, parochial, or home school.

• Reside in Downers Grove or the High School District 99 attendance area.

• Plan to pursue a post-secondary education program.

• Have participated in high school curricular music activities and/or extracurricular music activities.

• Composers and/or arrangers qualify for this scholarship.

• Pursuit of an undergraduate music major or minor is not required.

• Financial need is not a criterion for selection.

Rotary music scholarships are in memory of Charles Dickerman who was a founding member of the Downers Grove club. He was a nuclear physicist at Argonne National Laboratory and had undergraduate degrees in both physics and music. He stayed involved in music throughout his life and was an avid bagpiper.