CBAI Foundation Scholarships

The CBAI Foundation for Community Banking provides $21,000 in scholarship funds for top high school seniors statewide. One semi‐finalist may be chosen from each of the CBAI groups via an essay‐writing contest. We have the ability to award a $1,000 scholarship to a student in 11 of CBAI’s 12 groups along with $500 to a second-place person in each group, which assures geographical uniformity of winners. The statewide winner will win $1,000 a year for up to four years of higher education. And, as in previous years, the high school of the overall winner will receive $500. Your bank’s chance of sponsoring a winner is better than ever!

It costs nothing for your bank to be involved and there are no strings attached! However, the banks reaping the greatest benefits are those which offer local scholarships in addition to the $21,000 the Foundation

Q: WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

A: Eligible students are llinois high‐school seniors graduating in the spring and entering an institution of higher education in the summer or fall immediately following. They must be United States citizens and Illinois residents. The immediate family members of community bankers, bank directors and part‐time bank employees, regardless of the bank’s CBAI membership status, are NOT eligible to enter from ANY CBAI member bank. (The Foundation offers separate scholarships for the children and grandchildren of community

Q: HOW ARE THE WINNERS CHOSEN?

A: Each participating CBAI member bank sends the CBAI Foundation for Community Banking essays to judge. Each essay is numbered and separated from its cover sheet so that the judges are unaware of the student’s name, hometown, and sponsoring bank.

Based on the published criteria, the CBAI Foundation for Community Banking Scholarship Committee, all community bankers, judge the essays. Based on point totals derived from the judging criteria, the scholarship funds are awarded accordingly.