The 2024-25 Community Investments Program grant applications have closed, and the preliminary numbers for what the Elks were able to do with CIP grants are in! Check out this review of the past year to see how Elks Lodges used CIP grants.
In early January, 18 Elks scholars gathered in Chattanooga for the 2025 Winter Elks Scholar Service Trip. Click to read more about their experience!
The 2024-25 Fiscal Year has officially ended! All donations received on April 1 or after will be counted toward the 2025-26 Fiscal Year. Thank you for your support to make last year a success! It will take our team 2-3 weeks to finish processing the influx of donations received at the end of the year, and the online reports will not be updated until after all gifts are counted. Please wait to apply for the Gratitude Grant until the numbers are final to ensure you get the greatest amount for your Lodge!
The ENF is unable to verify if checks from your Lodge have been received at this time. Our small staff and the abundance of donations received makes it impossible. The best way to verify if we received your check (before the reports are updated) is to check with your bank and see if it has been cashed.
Elks use Elks National Veterans Service Commission Freedom Grants, funded by the Elks National Foundation, to ensure that veterans and active-duty service members are given the holiday seasons they deserve.
In 2023-24, the ENF gave $33 million to programs. While that number seems impressive, the truly impressive story lies in the individuals impacted by Elk volunteers and programs. Read between the numbers and learn more about the impact we made together last year in the 2023-24 Annual Report.
November is Elks Veterans Remembrance Month, and we are honoring veterans by reflecting on the Elks' pledge: "So long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them." With Community Investments Program grants, Elks Lodges uphold this solemn pledge by meeting the needs of local veterans.
Early Bird registration for the 2025 Hoop Shoot National Finals is open! Register before February 1 to receive a free t-shirt.
Meet the new Hoop Shoot Regional Director duo for Region 12: Jeff and Cristin Rumler.
For Elks scholars who continue their education into medical school, the Gunther and Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarship is an opportunity to receive financial assistance while staying heavily involved in the supportive #ElksFamily network. In 2024, 10 Elks scholars received Weigel scholarships worth $21,400 each.
Applications for the 2025 Most Valuable Student Scholarship and Legacy Awards scholarships are open. The MVS scholarship is available to all high school seniors and is judged based on leadership, service, academics, and financial need. The Legacy Awards Scholarship is available to the children and grandchildren of dues-paying Elks. Learn more and find the applications at enf.elks.org/scholarships.
Every year, herds of Elks travel to the Elks National Convention to celebrate Elkdom, carry out business matters of the Order, reconnect with old friends, and make new ones. They say that everything is bigger in Texas, and the 2024 Convention in Austin was no different. Click here to read a story about it and watch the videos we premiered at Convention.
In May, 14 Elks scholars traveled to Chicago to see how much of a difference they could make. Spanning from California to Massachusetts, these first-time service trippers quickly found out that the service they performed was only one aspect of their journey together.
From April 18 to 21, Hoop Shoot National Finalists, their families, and Elks traveled to Chicago for a weekend that was far more than just a free throw contest. Though the National Finalists knew they had to compete against each other on Saturday, that didn’t stop them from making friends and enjoying each other’s company. Read all about the weekend here!
The 2024 Elks National Convention in Austin is quickly approaching, and the ENF is putting on its cowboy boots and saddling up! Check out the ENF's full schedule to pencil in when you'll see us June 29-July 3.
The 2023-24 fundraising year was another banner year for the Elks National Foundation! Elks across the country raised broke the previous giving record by donating more than $8 million to help build stronger communities. While the National President's per-member-giving goal was $4.80, some Lodges excelled past that goal to take the win as the top per-member-giving Lodges in their state. The Chair Challenge recognizes Lodges for having a broad-based fundraising program, and the top Lodges in the Chair Challenge also deserve a pat on the back. View the winners here!
The Top 20 Most Valuable Student scholars got to experience the community that comes with an Elks scholarship firsthand in April, when they came to Chicago for the 2024 MVS Leadership Weekend. Though they were only together for three days, the Top 20 left Chicago with more than just memories.
Are you already missing the gentle swish of a successful free throw? The buzzer may have sounded on the 2024 Hoop Shoot National Finals, but we've got results, photos, highlights, trading cards, and more to keep the action going! Click here to view all of this year's content in one place.
Is your Lodge ready to build stronger communities? Community Investments Program grant applications opened April 1 for the 2024-25 year! Before your Lodge applies for a Gratitude Grant, make sure to wait until the fundraising numbers from the 2023-24 fiscal year are updated in May to ensure your Lodge gets all the bonuses it deserves! Click here for more information.
From March 7 to 11, eight Elks scholars traveled to Philadelphia for the Spring Elks Scholar Service Trip. The scholars had diverse backgrounds, with some coming from towns of less than a few thousand people and others coming from some of the biggest cities in the country. Though the scholars had very different upbringings, they were able to see the beauty in their differences—while finding plenty of similarities.
The Hoop Shoot Alumni Advisory Board, a.k.a. the BackBoard, is welcoming five new members this year. These past Hoop Shoot National Finalists are returning as rebounders and role models, and they're excited to hit the court!
Lodges built stronger communities at record numbers through CIP grants this last year. In 2023-24, 85% of Lodges received CIP grants. Take a look at the preliminary year-end numbers to see the Elks' impact here.
In January, the first Elks Scholar Service Trip of 2024 was held in Phoenix. Led by Elks Scholar Fellow Libby Willkomm, the trip was the embodiment of what it means to be an Elks scholar.
What does a massive, 100-meter-long creature from Star Wars have to do with the Elks National Foundation? Read on to learn about changes to the ENF's gift acceptance policy and an exciting new Gratitude Grant bonus!
We're excited to welcome five new members to the Elks Scholar Advisory Board! These Elks scholars demonstrate the tenets of Elkdom through service to their communities, and they are eager to help bring together the #ElksFamily. Read more about them here!
Students are back to the books, and ENF scholarship applications are open! Legacy Awards scholarships are available for the children and grandchildren of Elks. Applications are due February 5, but apply early to cross it off your to-do list! Applications for the Gunther & Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarship open January 1.