Legacy Awards FAQs

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 Awards 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.

1. Award winners will be announced in late April.
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 anything that the school considers cost of attendance. This often includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, and 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 ENF ID number of the student.

No, we have waived the standardized test requirement for the 2026 Legacy contest. You do not need to submit ACT and/or SAT scores.

Q: My school will not issue a transcript directly to me. What should I upload?
A: If your school has a policy about issuing official transcripts to students, work with your guidance counselor to secure an unofficial transcript and upload the unofficial transcript to your application.

Q: What file types do you accept for uploading transcripts?
A: Your transcript must be in PDF, JPEG, or TIFF format in order to be uploaded. To avoid website errors, please remove any spaces from the title of your file.

Q: What if my guidance counselor gave me a paper copy of my transcript?
A: Please scan the paper document and upload the electronic file to your online application. Transcripts cannot be mailed to our office, they must be uploaded electronically to your online application. Note, transcripts mailed to our office will be destroyed.

Q: Is there a word limit on the essays?
A: Yes, each essay has a word limit. There is a word counter at the bottom of each essay to help ensure you do not exceed the word limit.

Q: What information do I need to provide about my Elk sponsor?
A: You will need to provide his or her name, Lodge number, membership number, and a phone number or email address. Your Elk sponsor’s membership number can be found on their membership card.

Q: When is the 2026 Legacy Awards application due?

A: Your application must be submitted by February 2, 2026 at 11:59 a.m. Pacific Time. NOTE: This is NOON.

Please note the time the application closes. The Elks National Foundation is not responsible for any technical errors that may arise as you complete and submit your application. We especially encourage you to upload required documents early, even if you aren't ready to submit your application. In addition, it is in your best interest to submit your application early to avoid any last minute web traffic and technical problems.

If your application is received after February 2, 2026, it will be ineligible, regardless of the reason for late submission.