The ENF staff is mostly working remotely. We began a gradual return to the office on July 6, with the staff working at the office as necessary and otherwise working from home.

June 2020: Headquarters Office Plans to Reopen July 1:

The ENF staff is currently working remotely. We expect to start a gradual return to the office on July 1.

April 23, 2020: Headquarters Office Remained Closed:

On April 23, 2020, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced an extension to the shelter-in-place order for the entire state. The Elks National Foundation and BPOE headquarters headquartered in Illinois, will remain closed until further notice.

We will continue to work remotely; however, this will affect our mail and donation processing. Read more here.

COVID-19: March 31, 2020: Update-Headquarters Office Closed:

On March 31, 2020, the shelter-in-place order was extended through April 30. The ENF staff will continue to work from home and the office will remain closed.

COVID-19: March 20, 2020: Headquarters Office Closed:

On March 20, 2020, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a shelter-in-place order for the entire state. Since the Elks National Foundation and BPOE headquarters are in Illinois, this affects our office. The office will be closed until April 7.

We will continue to work remotely; however, this will affect our mail and donation processing.

Lodges should NOT send donations through the mail. Instead, submit donations electronically as outlined here: To pay by credit card, visit enf.elks.org/LodgeRemit, enter the Batch ID number in the box provided, complete the donation form and click donate. Donations will then be credited to members listed on the submitted remittance but a Batch ID must be provided. If using a Lodge credit card, complete the form as indicated in the photo below.

Please note: If you are making a single Lodge donation that does not include member donations, in the batch comment box, simply type “Lodge Donation.” An online remittance form is not necessary unless you are crediting individual donors.

Donations received through the mail by March 31 will count toward the current fiscal year, but they will not be processed until our staff is able to. This means that the Gratitude Grant qualification could be delayed.

We're here for you. We're working remotely with access to our network, work phones and email. Contacting us should be seamless for you. We appreciate your patience as we navigate this difficult planning environment.

It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone's day-to-day lives. We encourage you to stay connected with your fellow Elks following social distancing protocol. We find hope in the knowledge that the strong communities we've built together will help us through this crisis. On Facebook, we’re asking Lodges to share how they’re building #StrongerCommunities during this time by using #ElksAlwaysCare on social media.

ENF Director Jim O'Kelley has been blogging about how the Foundation has been navigating this uncharted territory. Read Jim's blog posts here: Here for you, if Not There for You and Hope in the Time of Coronavirus.