1) The incredible fiscal year just ended, which saw the endowment fund rebound from a down year with 25.6 percent growth, record-breaking support from the membership, and the biggest year for bequests since 1991-92.

2) Although the Great Recession appears to have ended and the country is slowly recovering, many people and communities are still hurting.

3) Since we created the Community Investments Program in 2005, Elks Lodges have found increasingly creative and effective ways to use our grant money to improve the quality of life in their communities.

Meeting for the first time this fiscal year on May 8 in Chicago, the Board voted unanimously to spend an additional $900,000 on the Community Investments Program to expand the philanthropic reach of Elks Lodges.

The money will be used to double the dollar amount of Gratitude and Promise grants. These grants will now be worth up to $1,000.

"We've been so impressed by what the Lodges have accomplished with our CIP grants," ENF Director Jim O'Kelley said. "We can't wait to see what they do with twice the money."

"The membership has been so generous in their support of the Foundation," added Board Chairman Bob Sabin. "Now we're going to help them do more for their communities."

In addition, the Board increased the Bonus Grant pool to the state associations by $500,000. The Foundation now will award $1.5 million in bonus grants and a total of $7.9 million to the state associations. To see how the Foundation will help your state in 2010-11, please click here.

The additional grants increase the Foundation's operating budget for the year to an all-time high of $19.2 million.