St. Elizabeth Health Foundation is dedicated to addressing health care needs in St. Clair County and Madison County, Illinois by sponsoring health care occupations scholarships to qualified students of that area. This scholarship program has been established to assist only students enrolled in a recognized health care occupation program at an accredited institution.
This scholarship program is administered by Scholarship America, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarship, tuition assistance and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations and individuals. Awards are granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender, disability or national origin.
The Sisters of Divine Providence, an organization of religious Catholic nuns, purchased St. Elizabeth Hospital, Granite City, IL, in 1921, and were the sole sponsor of that institution until January 1, 2002. As the Hospital’s scope of clinical services increased, the name of the institution was changed to St. Elizabeth Medical Center. In the mid-1990s, the Sisters formed St. Elizabeth Health Foundation; the income to be used to support the care of the needy and promote health care.
In 2001, the Sisters of Divine Providence concluded they could not continue to sponsor the Medical Center and sold it to CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc. and the facility is now operational as “Gateway Regional Medical Center”. In August, 2002, the Sisters elected to withdraw as sponsor of the Foundation and it was placed under a Board of Directors consisting of community leaders.
The Foundation joined the Ladies Auxiliary of Gateway Regional Medical Center as a Supporting Organization. In November, 2012, the Foundation recognized the success of its financial portfolio and concluded a more significant and enduring program could be provided. Hence, the Board determined the “It Starts Here Foundation”, a 501 (c)(3) organization, and a subsidiary of Southwestern Madison County Chamber of Commerce, would provide it with a common goal to benefit residents in Illinois Madison and St. Clair Counties.
More than $380,000 in medical scholarships have been awarded since 2013 to students from Madison and St. Clair Counties in Illinois. One scholarship is named in honor of former Congressman Jerry Costello. St. Elizabeth Health Foundation welcomes donations to increase medical scholarships. Such contributions are deductible as a 501 (c)(3) organization.
Applicants to the St. Elizabeth Health Foundation Scholarship Program must be residents of Madison County, Illinois or St. Clair County, Illinois, and:
The Foundation anticipates awarding several scholarships annually, including the Foundation’s Jerry Costello Healthcare Scholarship Award. Annual scholarship awards may be granted up to $15,000. Awards are not renewable, but a recipient may reapply each year. The number of awards and each of their amounts shall be at the sole discretion of the Board of Directors of the Foundation. Applicants shall disclose all other known grants and financial awards to be received for the upcoming academic year.
Recipients, after being advised of the amount of the Foundation scholarship awarded to them, must furnish the Foundation a recent photo and sign that the Foundation may publish their name, photo and amount of their award.
St. Elizabeth Health Foundation reserves the right to review the conditions and procedures of this scholarship program and to make changes at any time, including the right of termination of the program.
Awards are for undergraduate and graduate study.
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of academic performance, demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities, work experience, statement of goals and aspirations, unusual personal or family circumstances, and an outside appraisal.
Financial need is not considered.
Selection of recipients is made by the St. Elizabeth Health Foundation Board of Directors. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Applicants will be notified in early June. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. Students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of St. Elizabeth Health Foundation. Payments are made in equal installments on August 1 and December 15.
Interested students must complete the application and mail it along with a current, complete transcript of grades to Scholarship America by the postmark deadline. Grade reports are not acceptable. Transcripts must display student name, school name, grade and credit hours earned for each course, and term in which each course was taken. Applicants will receive acknowledgment of receipt of their application. If an acknowledgment email is not received within three weeks, applicants may call Scholarship America to verify that the application has been received.
Applicants are responsible for gathering and submitting all necessary information. Applications are evaluated on the information supplied; therefore, answer all questions as completely as possible. Incomplete applications will not be evaluated. All information received is considered confidential and is reviewed only by Scholarship America and the St. Elizabeth Health Foundation Board of Directors.
Application Instructions
Open the Printable Application Form (This will open in a new window)
Use the PDF fill-in-the-blank feature to complete the form:
Applicants must print the page(s) of the application containing the Applicant Appraisal and Transcript Information sections (if part of the application) and submit to the appropriate individuals for completion (if applicable). These sections cannot be completed electronically.
Mail the completed application form (including the completed Appraisal and Transcript sections if part of the application, and any other required documents) to Scholarship America by the program’s application postmark deadline. The mailing address is on the application form.
NOTE: You will need 
ADOBE Reader 6.0 or greater to open, use and print this PDF fill-in-the-blank form. If you do not have this free software installed on your computer, click on the ADOBE icon. Follow the directions to install ADOBE Reader (free download), then return to this page to proceed.
Contact Us:
Email: ckleine@scholarshipamerica.org
Phone: 507-931-1682 and ask for the St. Elizabeth Health Foundation Scholarship Program
Questions regarding the scholarship program should be addressed to:
St. Elizabeth Health Foundation Scholarship Program
Scholarship America
One Scholarship Way
Saint Peter, MN 56082
