Emergency Educational Fund Grants
The Emergency Educational Grant program provides financial assistance to children of deceased or totally disabled Elks, who wish to obtain or further their college education.
Grant amounts are based on the information submitted in the application and can range up to $3,000. The grant is for one year only; however, the student may submit up to three annual renewal applications for succeeding years as long as he or she meets all other eligibility requirements. The applicant cannot accept more than one ENF scholarship/grant in any one academic year.
New applications should be filed between July 1 and December 31. Renewal applications must be filed between July 1 and October 31. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The grant is for educational assistance only and not intended to cover the entire cost of a college education. Assistance cannot be extended beyond four years.
Before applying, please be sure that the applicant meets the following eligibility guidelines.
The Elk parent or stepparent must have been a member in good standing at the time of his or her death.
or
The Elk parent or stepparent must have been a member in good standing before he or she became totally disabled and must continue to be an Elk in good standing when application for assistance is made.
The applicant must demonstrate financial need to qualify for a grant under this program.
In addition, the applicant must be unmarried, under the age of 23 as of Dec. 31 in the year of application, and attending a U.S. college or university as a full-time (12 semester hours) undergraduate student.
Applicants must investigate all sources of scholarships and grants available through School, Local, State and Federal Governmental agencies, before submitting an application.
All applications -- new and renewal -- must be submitted to, and processed by, the Lodge where the Elk parent or stepparent is or was a member. Be sure to use the checklist on the application to ensure that all necessary paperwork has been included.
The Lodge Scholarship Assistance Committee must investigate the application, and the committee's written report must be submitted with the application. After the vote of the Lodge, the Lodge Secretary must complete the portion of the application as noted. These steps must be followed on all new AND renewal applications.
As soon as possible after the student has turned the application in to the Lodge, the Scholarship Committee should conduct its investigation, and the Lodge should follow up with a vote, so that the application can be submitted to the ENF office.
The ENF office does not mail applications for this program in bulk quantities. With each new printing, we may make several changes to the application, so we want to be sure that the Lodges have the most up-to-date application. The Lodge or the student may request an Emergency Educational Fund Grant application from the ENF Chicago office by contacting 773/755-4732 or scholarship@elks.org.