Following are answers to common questions about the Elks National Foundation's ENF Legacy Awards scholarship contest.

Through its three scholarship programs, the Elks National Foundation awards more than $3.6 million a year in college scholarships.

Starting in 2009, Legacy Awards will be four-year, $4,000 scholarships. The Foundation will offer a total of up to 250 awards.

Meet the 2008 class of Legacy Award recipients!

• Who is eligble?
• How do I apply?
• Who will I compete against and how are the quotas determined?
• Who Selects the Legacy Award Winners?
• How will the applicants be judged?
• How will the awards be administered?
• Where can I get more info?

1. 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, 2006, or a charter member of a Lodge that was instituted on or after April 1, 2006, is eligible to apply. The Elk must also be a paid-up member through March 31, 2009. Great-grandchildren are not eligible.

2. The applicant must be a high school senior.

3. The applicant must apply through the related member's Elks Lodge, regardless of where the applicant resides.

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 or the American College Test by December 31, 2008.

Eligible students should apply in the following manner:

1. Obtain a Legacy Award Application from your local Lodge, visit the Elks website to download an application, or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Elks National Foundation. Applications will be in the Lodges and online by September 1, 2008.

2. The student must complete the application and return it to the Elks National Foundation postmarked no later than January 9, 2009, along with an up-to-date transcript of grades, SAT or ACT score results, and two letters of recommendation, including one from a high school teacher.

3. Be sure you obtain the required signatures. The Elk parent or grandparent with longest continuous membership completes part two of the required signature section; Lodge Secretary completes part three. (Note to Secretaries: You many verify membership before the application is completed.)

4. 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, 2009.

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.

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. Due to IRS regulations, the Foundation may award Legacy Awards to no more than 25 percent of the applicants in each state. 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.

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.

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.

scholarship@elks.org
773/755-4732

Elks National Foundation
2750 N. Lakeview Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614-2256