The Legacy Awards

Elks National Foundation 2010 Legacy Award Application

Please review the eligibility rules below before proceeding to the Legacy Award Application. You must complete and submit this application online by January 8, 2010, to be eligible. Who is eligible for an ENF Legacy Award?

1. Any child or grandchild (or step-child, step-grandchild, or legal ward) of a living Elk who joined the order on or before April 1, 2007, or a charter member of a Lodge that was instituted on or after April 1, 2007, is eligible to apply. The Elk must also be a paid-up member through March 31, 2010. Great-grandchildren are not eligible.

2. The applicant must be a high school senior.

3. The applicant must apply online.

4. If the applicant's parent and grandparent are both Elk members, the applicant must apply through the parent's Elks Lodge.

5. Students may apply for more than one ENF scholarship; however, they may win only one. In cases where the student qualifies for more than one, we will award the scholarship with the greater value.

6. Legacy Awards may only be applied to accredited US American schools, colleges or universities. (Note: Applicants from Guam, Panama, Puerto Rico and the Philippines may apply Legacy Awards toward schools, colleges or universities in their respective homes.)

7. Applicants must take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT) by December 31, 2009.

To complete the application, fill out each section completely, making sure to use the arrow buttons at the bottom of each section to save your work and move onto the next section. Once submitted, you can no longer edit your application or upload any supplemental files. Your application must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on January 8, 2010.

Upon receipt of the application, we will send you an email noting the application was received. Legacy Award winners will be announced in April 2010.

How Do I Apply, and What Are the Deadlines?

Eligible students should apply in the following manner:

1. Starting with the 2010 contest, applications will be available ONLINE ONLY after September 1, 2009.

2. The student must complete and submit the ONLINE application by the January 8, 2010, deadline.

3. The Elk sponsor’s membership will be verified through the BPOE Grand Lodge headquarters.

4. When a student registers to complete the online application, both the applicant and Lodge Secretary will be notified by email.

5. Upon receipt of the application, the applicant will receive a notification that the application was received. Winners will be announced on or around May 1, 2010.

Note: Because the contest begins in one Lodge year and the winners are announced in the next, a Legacy Award could go to the child or grandchild of a lapsed member. An applicant's Elk parent or grandparent must be a paid-up member in good standing at the time of application, but if the Elk chooses not to renew membership, that decision will not affect the outcome of the Legacy Awards contest.

Who Will I Compete Against and how are the quotas determined?

Legacy Awards are $4,000 scholarships ($1,000 year for four years). The Foundation offers a total of up to 250 awards.

Children and grandchildren will compete separately against other children and grandchildren in their state. Each state is eligible to receive a number of awards based on its past support of the Elks National Foundation. Each state’s quota is divided evenly among children and grandchildren. In states where the quota is an uneven number, the extra award is allocated to children of Elks, rather than grandchildren.

Who Selects the Legacy Award Winners?

The Selection Committee is appointed by the ENF Board of Trustees, and consists of professionals who are not connected with either the Elks National Foundation or the BPO Elks of the USA. The Selection Committee is responsible for the confidential review of each applicant's file. They determine the Legacy Award winners. All decisions are final.

How Will Applications Be Judged?

The ENF Legacy Awards contest provides educational assistance to children and grandchildren of Elk members who are high school seniors, going on to college, and exhibit the core values of the Elks National Foundation:

1. Knowledge
2. Charity
3. Community
4. Integrity

The Selection Committee judges applications based on the above values. There will be no further investigation of the prospective students or their parents with respect to financial need or other personal matters.

How Will the Awards Be Administered?

1. Award winners will be announced on or before May 1.

2. The award becomes final when the student accepts it and actually enrolls in an accredited U.S. American school, college or university. The award money will be apportioned equally by period (semester, trimester, quarter, etc.).

3. Legacy Awards are evidenced by a Certificate of Award issued by the Chicago office of the Elks National Foundation.

4. All checks are paid directly to the school; under no circumstance can we make payment directly to the student.

5. The scholarship monies may be used for tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board.

6. In order to receive payment, a student must have the school send a completed Verification of Enrollment form to our Chicago office. We will then issue our check, payable to the school, and mail it directly to the school to establish a credit in the name of the student. We will notify the student when we mail the check.

7. If a student leaves school for any reason, the undisbursed balance of the scholarship must be returned directly to the Foundation's Chicago office. It may not be transferred to another school, and it may not be paid to the student personally.

8. In all of our scholarship programs, it is the responsibility of the student to follow up on all matters relating to his or her scholarship. In all correspondence relating to a student who has won or is applying for a Legacy Award, we must have the full name and Social Security number of the student.

Where Can I Get More Information about the ENF Legacy Awards Program or the Elks National Foundation?

scholarship@elks.org
773/755-4732 773/755-4732
Elks National Foundation
2750 N. Lakeview Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614-2256