Our application is currently closed and will re-open on May 7th!
Thank you so much for your interest in applying to the 2026 ILLCF Soy el Futuro Scholarship (previously known as the Michael W. Gonzalez scholarship). Students that are selected receive $5,000 towards their education, participate in a weekend Leadership Development Seminar, and are awarded at the annual gala in November.
To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must be Latino, never received the ILLCF scholarship, and be a student currently enrolled part-time or full-time in a college or university and working toward one of the following:
-Certificate program, vocational, technical, or trade school
-Undergraduate or associate degree
-Graduate degree (master's or Ph.D.)
Please note that students without immigration status or DACA recipients whose home residence is Illinois are also welcomed to apply. As defined by the US Census Bureau, Hispanic/Latino is an ethnic category, not a racial category; students may be of any race.
All applicants are required to submit a letter of recommendation (LOR) along with any additional materials specific to their application—such as a personal statement, business template, or other supporting documents. The LOR must be submitted at the time of application. When submitting your application, you will also be required to provide your recommender’s full name, organization, email address, and phone number. Please make sure to contact your reference in advance and confirm you have the correct contact information.
Important: The application must be completed in one sitting, so we strongly encourage you to gather all required documents and details before starting the application process.
If you have any questions, please reach out to info@illcfoundation.org!
