Metro guide
The Chicago metro area covers Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, Will County, Kane County and McHenry County in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, with principal cities including Chicago, Naperville, Elgin, Joliet and Evanston. We haven’t confirmed a scholarship limited to this metro yet, so this guide leads with local foundations, statewide awards and state aid.
No scholarships match these filters. Try a shorter search or fewer filters.
Updated
The IRS lists 4 community foundations with at least $1 million in assets based in the area’s principal cities; the largest is The Chicago Community Trust in Chicago ($7.1 billion in assets). Community foundations hold hundreds of small donor-funded scholarships, often limited to graduates of specific high schools or residents of one county, and many use a single shared application each winter.
Statewide, 13 more open awards are limited to Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin residents, and state aid includes Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant, Frank O'Bannon Grant and Wisconsin Grant. Federal Pell Grants stack on top for students who file the FAFSA. 1 union apprenticeship application window in the area is on our windows tracker.
Where local money hides: ask your school counselor for the local scholarship bulletin (many high schools keep one), check employer and union awards from your parents’ workplaces, and look at service clubs (Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions) and credit unions near you. These awards rarely appear on national sites, which is why their applicant pools are small.
None confirmed right now. See the foundations and statewide awards below.
Up to $8,400 per year
Official page ↗Varies by school type and credits completed
Official page ↗Set annually by HEAB
Official page ↗Illinois residents enrolling in a truck driver (CDL) training program in the matching enrollment window.
Students from eligible Central Indiana counties and school districts (Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison and more); each fund has its own criteria.
Full-time undergraduates enrolled in (or admitted/applied to) a WSGC member institution pursuing STEM studies aligned with NASA mission directorates.
Graduating high school seniors and returning students from the Marshfield, Wisconsin service area.
Local students in Boone County, Indiana (Lebanon, Western Boone, Zionsville and Sheridan high schools and others); each donor fund sets its own criteria.
High school seniors no older than 20 on Aug 1, 2027, living in AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MS, MO, NE, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV or DC; financial need is a major factor.
Students of all ages in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin (high school seniors, college students and adult learners) heading to a college, university, community or technical college.
Students in the Iowa–Illinois Quad Cities region; scholarships for Iowa, Illinois or both, based on need, field or other criteria.
Students in Howard, Clinton and Carroll Counties, Indiana; one portal for the foundation's many funds.
Illinois high school seniors and eligible college students preparing to become teachers in Illinois, with a commitment to teach in qualifying Illinois schools.
Graduating Wisconsin high school seniors whose parent is a full-time, active member of a Wisconsin police or fire department.
Full-time post-secondary students who have finished a full-time semester and whose parent or guardian is a member in good standing of a participating UBC local in the NMRCC area (MN, ND, SD, WI). Short essay required.
Full Illinois guide → · Full Indiana guide → · Full Wisconsin guide → · All community foundations
We haven’t confirmed one that’s open right now, but the IRS lists 4 community foundations in the area’s principal cities, and most run local scholarships.
Donors set up funds with rules such as a specific high school, county, major or need. The foundation advertises them together, usually with one online application each winter or spring, and matches applicants to every fund they qualify for.
Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant, Frank O'Bannon Grant and Wisconsin Grant. Most require the FAFSA.