Grants
About Our Scholarship Grant and Application
Scholarships Announcements
For Students attending an Illinois college or university or, Any Illinois resident attending college or university in Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, or Wisconsin.
Funding Sources
The Undergraduate/Graduate Scholarship is supported by the membership of ILMA through the donations received from the bucket raffle and boat raffle at the annual conference
Mr. Robert Esser. long-standing member of ILMA, and lake monitoring volunteer, is sole sponsor of the Robert Esser Student Achievement Scholarship.
The ILM Research Scholarship is funded by the ecological restoration company ILM, headquartered in Waukegan Illinois. Research projects should focus on new advances in the science and practice of ecological restoration in wetlands, streams, ponds, and lakes including the study of invasive species and nuisance aquatic plant management.
Who's Eligible to Apply?
Illinois Undergraduate/Graduate Scholarship ($1,000):
Full time undergraduate or graduate students who have a college or university cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 on an undergraduate 4.0 scale and 3.0 on a graduate 4.0 scale, enrolled in a natural resource discipline related to lake and/or watershed management. Eligible applicants include Illinois residents enrolled in accredited colleges and universities within the above listed six states and/ or students enrolled in an accredited Illinois college or university. Emphasis will be placed on scholarship money going towards work or project related expenses in a lake / watershed area.
Robert Esser Student Achievement Scholarship ($500):
Illinois resident attending an Illinois accredited college or university. A full time junior or senior undergraduate student or graduate student is preferred. Attendance at the Annual Meeting of the Illinois Lake Management Association (ILMA) is strongly encouraged. Student must be enrolled in a lake-related curriculum with clearly articulated personal goals and objectives geared toward Illinois lakes. Emphasis will be placed on volunteer experiences.
The ILM Research Scholarship ($1,000):
Illinois resident attending an Illinois college or university, or one of the five Midwest universities mentioned above. A full time junior or senior undergraduate student or graduate student is preferred. Student will be required to send quarterly updates on their research project to ILM and will be invited to present their findings to ILM staff if logistically appropriate. Attendance at the Annual Meeting of the Illinois Lake Management Association (ILMA) is strongly encouraged. Student must be enrolled in a science curriculum with an emphasis on ecology or natural areas management.
What are the Primary Selection Criteria?
The ILMA Scholarship Committee will consider academic achievement, major field of study, statement of career goals and student special interests. Most awards are given on the basis of academic achievement combined with a course of study consistent with our mission.
Notification and Disbursement of Awards
The ILMA Scholarship Committee meets in January of each year to review the applications and determine the awards. All applicants will be notified by February 1st as to the committee’s final decision. Scholarship funds are provided to the recipient to offset the tuition and fee expenses for the appropriate semester(s) and/or approved research project
expenses.
What’s my deadline to get the application in?
Applicant must submit the Scholarship application forms to meet the deadline date of December 31. Application forms can be obtained from the ILMA web site or by contacting the Illinois Lake Management Association at 1-800-338-6976 (Access Code 01).
P. O. Box 20655, Springfield, IL 62708
How the application process works:
The student completes this application and returns it and all supporting materials by the due date, to the address listed above. Late applications will not be considered. Once the application is received, the Illinois Lake Management Association will:
Send a letter confirming application receipt within 10 days of the application deadline, and
Provide a timetable for the review process and award notification.
Before sending this application did you:
- Properly complete the application?
- Sign the application form?
- Attach or forward the necessary (2) letters of recommendation?
- Attach or forward the required “Official Transcripts”.
- Include a project description, budget, and description of how the scholarship money will be spent?
- Send the completed application and all supporting materials by December 31st to:
Illinois Lake Management Association
P.O. Box 20655
Springfield, IL 62708
HOA Lake Scholarship:
Lake or Homeowner Association Lake-Related Projects
Do you have a vision for your lake?
The Illinois Lakes Management Association is proud to announce a new scholarship in 2025 that will be geared towards Lake and Homeowner Associations.
We invite all lake and HOA associations to submit a brief proposal for projects that address a specific need or opportunity related to their lake.
Examples of eligible projects include (but not limited too)
- Water quality improvement initiatives: Reducing pollution, monitoring water clarity and health, invasive species control.
- Habitat restoration: Enhancing native plant communities, creating spawning habitat for fish, restoring shorelines, fish stocking
- Public access and recreational facilities: Building docks, boat launches, trails, or educational signage.
- Community engagement and outreach programs: Educational events, lake clean-up days, youth programs, conference attendance.
- Research and monitoring projects: Studying water quality trends, fish populations, or other environmental factors.
- Sustainable: Ensure long-term viability and positive effects on the lake ecosystem.
Eligibility:
The HOA/Lake Association must be a member of the Illinois Lakes Management Association.You can register for membership at https://ilma-lakes.org/
Funding Available:
One scholarship is available for a total of $500. While we know lake projects cost more than this, we are hoping this can assist towards your lake goals for 2025.
Submission Instructions:
Please submit your proposal electronically to abartolai2@lakecountyil.gov by February 15th, 2025. The proposal should be no more than one pages and should include the following information:
- Project title
- Contact information for the lead applicant
- Project description
For more information:
Please contact Alana at abartolai2@lakecountyil.gov
We encourage all lake and homeowner associations to submit proposals and help us make our lakes a better place to live, work, and play!