Scholarships

We help students recognize their academic dreams. Each year, the Elks National Foundation awards more than $3 million in college scholarships to at least 800 outstanding, service-minded high school seniors. Once you’re an Elks scholar, you’re family.

The Most Valuable Students (MVS) contest will open August 5, 2020.

Applicants will be judged on scholarship, leadership, and financial need.

Eligibility:

  • Current high school seniors, or the equivalent, who are citizens of the United States are eligible to apply.
  • Applicants do not need to be related to a member of the Elks.
  • High school graduates are not eligible to apply.
  • Applicants must be citizens of the United States on the date their applications are submitted; permanent legal resident status does not qualify.

MVS Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.elks.org/scholarweb/resources/MVSFAQ.cfm

Awards:

  • The Elks National Foundation will award 500 four-year scholarships to the highest-rated applicants in the 2021 competition.
  • Male and female students compete separately.
  • Ranging from $1,000 per year to $12,500 per year, Most Valuable Student scholarships are for students pursuing a four-year degree, on a full-time basis (minimum of 12 semester hours), in a U.S. college or university. All scholarships are in the form of certificates of award conditional upon the full-time enrollment of the winner in an accredited U.S. college or university.
  • The Chicago office of the Elks National Foundation will announce the 500 national winners in late April, 2021. (Many local Lodges, districts and state Elks associations award their own scholarships through this program. These scholarships are not to be confused with the 500 Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarships.)

The 20 Top Finalists traditionally participate in an all expenses paid Leadership Weekend in Chicago during which they’ll interview with the national judges. These 20 Finalists will be vying for two first-place awards of $50,000; two second-place awards of $40,000; and two third-place awards of $30,000. The remaining 14 finalists will receive awards of $20,000. The 480 runners-up will receive fifth-place scholarships of $4,000.

Learn more about the MVS Leadership Weekend https://www.elks.org/scholars/scholarships/lead.cfm

Scholarship Guidelines

Our scholarship programs are for undergraduate study only. A student may not receive more than one Elks National Foundation scholarship award or grant in any one academic year.

The scholarships awards (except EEG) are evidenced by a Certificate of Award issued by the Chicago office of the Elks National Foundation. All checks are paid directly to the school; under no circumstance can we make payment directly to the student.

Scholarship awards may be used for cost of attendance expenses. In order to receive payment, a student must have the school send to our Chicago office, the completed Verification of Enrollment form, whereupon, we will 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.

Since most checks are being prepared during the months of August through November, student and school must allow four to six weeks for payment.

If a student terminates his or her courses for any reason, the undisbursed balance of the award 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.

It is the responsibility of the student to follow up on all matters relating to his or her scholarship award.

In all correspondence relating to a student who has been awarded a scholarship, we must have the full name and the ENF ID of the student.

The information herein should not be turned over to publishers or those who wish to include it in a computer resource listing. We receive hundreds of requests from students who pay for scholarship/grant information, only to find they are not eligible or that the information is years out-of-date. Unfortunately, many of these sources do not publish complete information, nor do they update their files on a regular basis.

The Elks National Foundation has no loan programs, vocational grants or assistance for graduate study available, and it does not maintain a mailing list.

If a student would like to use his or her scholarship funds for a study abroad program, it must be billed through an accredited, U.S. degree-granting institution. We cannot issue funds to a third party program or vendor.

The Elks National Foundation reserves the right to cancel an award in total, if we do not hear from a student for two consecutive academic years.

For more information contact the Elks National Foundation Scholarship Office at [email protected].

Legacy Awards

Legacy Awards are $4,000 scholarships available to children and grandchildren of Elks members. Eligibility requirements are outlined below.

The 2021 contest will open on September 1, 2020.

The deadline for applications is February 5, 2021 at 11:59 a.m. Central Time.

Read below for eligibility information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Who is Eligible?

  1. For the 2021 contest, 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, 2018, or a charter member of a Lodge that was instituted on or after April 1, 2018, is eligible to apply. The Elk must also be a paid-up member through March 31, 2021. Great-grandchildren are not eligible.
  2. The applicant must be a high school senior.
  3. The applicant must apply online only. The 2021 Legacy Awards application deadline is February 5, 2021 at 11:59 a.m. Central Time.
  4. If the applicant’s parent and grandparent are both Elk members, the applicant must apply through the parent’s Elks Lodge.
  5. We have waived the standardized test requirement for the 2021 Legacy contest. You do not need to submit ACT and/or SAT scores.
  6. Students may apply for more than one ENF scholarship; however, they may win only one. In cases where the student wins more than one, we will award the scholarship with the greater value. Students can accept local and state scholarships, which are separate from the awards at the national level.
  7. 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.)
  8. If you are selected as a 2021 Legacy Awards recipient, you will be required to perform service once a year with an Elks Lodge during the four years you are receiving the scholarship. Click here for more information about serving with the Elks.

How Do I Apply, and What Are the Deadlines?

Eligible students should apply in the following manner:

  1. The student must complete and submit the ONLINE application. The 2021 Legacy Awards application deadline is February 5, 2021 at 11:59 a.m. Central Time.
  2. The Elk sponsor’s membership will be verified through the BPOE Grand Lodge headquarters.
  3. When a student registers to complete the online application, both the applicant and Lodge Secretary will be notified by email.
  4. If you have questions about your online Legacy Awards application, contact the ENF Scholarship Office via email at [email protected]. Visit our Legacy Awards FAQ page.
  5. Upon receipt of the application, the applicant will receive a notification that the application was received. Winners will be announced in late April 2021.

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.

Emergency Educational Grants

Emergency Educational Grants provide undergraduate college financial assistance to children of deceased or totally disabled Elks in the form of renewable, one-year grants of up to $5,000. The grant is for educational assistance only and is not intended to cover the entire cost of a college education.

Grant amounts are based on the information submitted in the application and can range up to $5,000.

  • As long as a student meets all other eligibility requirement listed below, a student can apply for up to four Emergency Educational Grants in total during their undergraduate education.
  • The applicant cannot accept more than one ENF scholarship/grant in any one academic year.

Eligibility:

The Elk parent or stepparent:

  • Must have been a member in good standing for at least one year at the time of his or her death.
  • Must have been a member in good standing for at least one year before he or she became totally disabled and must continue to be an Elk in good standing when application for assistance is made.
  • All circumstances surrounding the death or disability of the Elk parent or stepparent are subject to the review of the Elks National Foundation. The outcome of the review may effect grant approval.

The applicant must:

  • Demonstrate financial need.
  • Attend an accredited U.S. college or university as a full-time (12 semester hours) undergraduate student.
  • **Note that if a student is awarded an EEG, the funds are disbursed directly to the school in the student’s name and can only be used for items the school considers cost of attendance. This normally includes tuition, on campus room and board and books and fees. Learn more about the ENF’s scholarship guidelines here. **
  • Be unmarried, under the age of 24 during the academic year in which they are applying.

Applications:

  • Available upon request between May 1 and October 31 of the academic year for which assistance is desired.
  • Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. All applications must be received by November 2, 2020.
  • To request an EEG application for you or someone you know, please email [email protected] or call 773/755-4732.

Looking for other Elks scholarship options? Learn about Most Valuable Student Scholarships and Legacy Awards.

Questions? Email [email protected] or call 773/755-4732.

The Gunther & Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarship

The Elks National Foundation is pleased to offer an exclusive scholarship opportunity just for Elks scholars pursuing a medical degree or Osteopathic Medicine degree.

The Gunther & Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarships are $26,000 scholarships offered to Elks scholars (current or alum) entering their first year of medical school. The scholarship was established through the generosity of the late Lee Weigel, widow of Gunther Weigel.

Lee lost her husband of 51 years in November 2009. Gunther was a longtime member of Miami, Fla., Elks Lodge No. 948. He was passionate about the Foundation’s scholarship programs. Lee established these scholarships to help Elks scholars pursue a career in medicine.

If you are an Elks scholar planning to attend an accredited U.S. medical school to pursue a medical degree or Osteopathic Medicine degree, consider applying before you begin your first year of medical school.

This year, eight (8) $26,000 scholarships are offered exclusively to Elks scholars (current or alum)** entering their first year of medical school in 2020. The deadline for the 2020 contest has passed.

**Please note, this award is only open to current and former scholarship recipients of the Elks National Foundation. Winners of local Lodge scholarships and State Elks Association scholarships are not eligible for this program. This program is not open to the general public.**

Beth Schnettler: Youth Activities Chair
[email protected]