College Scholarships
The Sommer Foundation’s mission is to provide college or university scholarships to deserving high school seniors who have experienced the death of a parent and, despite the resulting emotional trauma, have performed in an exemplary manner during their high school career.
Since 1993, 156 scholarships have been awarded and over a half-million in scholarship dollars have been granted. These students demonstrated high academic performance, were involved in extra curricular activities in high school and also found time to volunteer within their communities. Several of the students also worked to assist financially with their families and their education.
The scholarships are available to all graduating seniors attending a high school located within Illinois.
ILCMA Scholarships
Since 2001, the Sommer Foundation has awarded Illinois City/County Management Association's Summer Conference scholarships to municipal government interns who are enrolled in Master's of Public Administration programs and have the goal of becoming a city manager or administrator. The conference is an excellent opportunity for these aspiring young professionals to learn about local government professional management and to meet people in their chosen career.