When John F. Malley founded the Elks National Foundation in 1928, he envisioned that it would "unite the forces of the Order into a mighty army for the service of mankind."
The Community Investments Program is that army.
The very first seeds of the Community Investments Program were sewn at an ENF Board of Trustees meeting in July 2001.
“The Foundation supports all of the national programs, and we give money back to the states, so indirectly, we are helping out locally,” said ENF Director Jim O’Kelley in his initial pitch to the board. “But, unless a Lodge has a scholarship recipient, they don’t really see ENF money at work locally. We need to get money back to the Lodges.”
Jim O’Kelley is a dreamer. The CIP was his dream, and it was a dream embraced by the then-Board of Trustees, who were eager to brainstorm, posit suggestions, and continue refining the idea.
“If we’re going to impact the community and let them know what Elks are really about,” suggested Past National President Robert Sabin, “it should be a project in the community itself where the Elks can visibly participate.”
Past National President and fellow dreamer Frank Hise, who founded the Hoop Shoot program, said, “I think awarding grants to Lodges would be one of the greatest things we could do.”
The board voted unanimously for the staff to devise a program for review. Two months later, however, a national tragedy relegated the Lodge grant program to the backburner.
“9/11 changed everyone’s focus,” O’Kelley reflects.
By July 2003, the ENF was ready to revisit the idea, and at a board meeting in St. Louis, then-Chairman Dr. Leonard Bristol appointed a task force composed of board members and staff to develop a community grant program for presentation to the board. Rapid progress followed, but by the next summer, the task force had stalled.
“We were stuck in the weeds,” O’Kelley recalls.
That changed in October 2004 with the arrival of new Programs Manager Debbie Kahler Doles.
“Debbie jump-started the program,” O’Kelley says. “She helped us define community and state our purpose.”
“The foundation was already there for a great program that would give grants to Lodges to help in their communities,” Doles says.
“Maybe,” O’Kelley acknowledges, “but if not for Debbie, we’d still be debating the name.”
At the December 2004 board meeting in Chicago, O’Kelley presented the task force’s plan for the new Community Investments Program. The board was not yet sold on the piece that would eventually become the Impact Grant, but the trustees were excited about the Gratitude Grant component. At the February 2005 meeting in San Diego, the board approved a modest budget of $350,000 to fund the CIP.
Although the larger grant component had been tabled, “it was exhilarating to be on the ground floor of something that we all believed would create lasting change,” Doles says.
The Community Investments Program launched in July at the Convention in Reno with two components worth $200 each: the Promise Grant, which the ENF had been funding through the Drug Awareness Program since 1999, and the Gratitude Grant, which would be available to Lodges that achieved the National President’s per-member-giving goal for the ENF.
“The very first day the program opened, we received 29 applications,” O’Kelley says. “In the first year, we approved applications from 695 Lodges.”
Oakmont, Pa., Lodge No. 1668 used its first Gratitude Grant back then to support the public library. Omaha, Neb., Lodge No. 39 purchased wish list items for the Ronald McDonald House. They’ve both received Gratitude Grants every year since.
“The board was tentative at first,” O’Kelley says, “but the trustees saw what Lodges were able to do with those $200 grants, and they’ve been expanding the program ever since.”
For 2025-26, when the CIP marked its 20th anniversary, the program’s budget was nearly $18 million, meaning the board has increased funding by more than 5,000% since that first year.
Twenty years after purchasing items for the Ronald McDonald House, Oakmont Lodge is still using CIP grants to build a stronger community. Most recently, the Lodge used its Gratitude Grant to partner with the Plum Area Youth Soccer Association, providing equipment and supplies for children with disabilities through the TOPSoccer program. Lodge members serve as soccer buddies for the kids and help them practice.
“Oakmont, Omaha and some of the other early adopters are still doing great work,” Doles says. “It’s inspiring, and we’re giving them even more resources this year.”
In celebration of the anniversary, the board increased the base Gratitude Grant to $3,000 from $2,000.
“John F. Malley’s foresight is unfathomable,” O’Kelley says. “Especially in the context of that time. The stock market crashed a year after he founded the Elks National Foundation. He kept his focus through the Depression, investing money that was needed then so that the Elks could do much more in the future.
“Debbie and I, our colleagues on the staff, and the board members we’ve worked with, our contribution is the CIP, and it’s the CIP that turned Malley’s dream into reality,” says O’Kelley. “The CIP has united the forces of the Order into a mighty army in service of mankind.”
Launched in 2005, the $200 Gratitude Grant was available to Lodges that met the National President’s per-member-giving goal and submitted an application discussing a need in their community and how they planned to address it.
“We receive applications daily from Lodges requesting use of their $200 reimbursement grant to support a worthy and charitable cause in their community,” the staff wrote that year in the fall issue of the ENF’s quarterly print newsletter, Heartbeat.
In 2005, Raleigh, N.C., Lodge No. 735 used its Gratitude Grant to host a pool party for the families of National Guard soldiers. More than 50 people attended, splashing in the Lodge’s pool, eating hot dogs and popsicles, and playing games.
“Lodges are finding some really creative ways to use their Gratitude Grants,” Foundation Director Jim O’Kelley is quoted saying in that same issue of Heartbeat. “By the end of the fiscal year, we expect more than 1,300 Lodges to qualify for these grants.
In 2006 and again in 2007, the Gratitude Grant increased by $100 due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the program, and the Gratitude Grant would continue to grow. By 2013, the Gratitude Grant was worth $2,000.
Since the Gratitude Grant was always meant to thank Lodges that met the National President’s per-member-giving goal, bonuses to the Gratitude Grant were introduced in 2015 to reward Lodges for achieving additional fundraising benchmarks.
By 2024, there were four bonuses worth $500 each, meaning Lodges could earn up to $4,000. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the CIP, the base Gratitude Grant was increased to $3,000 in 2025-26, making the Gratitude Grant worth up to $5,000.
The increase in the Gratitude Grant allows Lodges to do even more in their community.
Raleigh, N.C., Lodge No. 735 used its Gratitude Grant in 2024-25 to host a back-to-school swim party for National Guard families in August, just like it did back in 2005. In addition, the Lodge also hosted a complete Thanksgiving dinner, aided 40 military families with its Army of Hope giving tree, and provided dinner for Military Child Appreciation Month.
“Our North Carolina National Guard families were overwhelmed with the support and kindness of our Raleigh Elks Lodge,” wrote Rebecca Hiller in the Lodge’s Final Report. “With each event, our Elks family is always willing to volunteer to make it run smoothly.”
Out of the 1,645 Lodges that were eligible for the Gratitude Grant in 2024-25, 1,459 Lodges received the grant, and 104 Lodges earned all four bonuses.
Just two years after the Community Investments Program started, the CIP’s largest and most competitive grant was introduced. The Impact Grant, worth up to $10,000, is a grant for Lodges that intimately understand a problem in its community, have a unique idea about how to solve it, and are ready with the volunteer power to get it done.
In 2008, Bristol County, R.I., Lodge No. 1860 received its first Impact Grant for its East Bay Cares food program, where the Lodge helps to support local food pantries. The next year, an Impact Grant overview from the ENF stated that the Lodge was able to give away more than $22,000 from the support of the Impact Grant, along with donations, fundraising, and community support.
The Lodge even received a donation of a van to help with delivery and an award from a local food pantry for “playing a key role in helping us engage, educate, and empower the East Bay in creating a hunger-free community.”
Since then, the project has continued to grow.
“More people than ever are dealing with food insecurity, and more people than ever are noticing this and feeling the effects of this,” wrote long-serving Project Manager David Cioe in the Lodge’s 2024 Final Quarterly Report. “People helping people is what this is all about, and we are very proud to be able to make a difference through the East Bay Cares program.”
The project has become such a staple in the Lodge’s community that police officers, schools, domestic violence resource centers, and even food pantries contact the Lodge when they see a need. The Lodge always has baskets of food and gift cards ready to deliver when they’re called into action.
“We are proud of the fact that we are the longest running Impact Grant in the country,” wrote Cioe. “We believe it is testimony to the dedication of our members and volunteers to provide for the hungry in our area.”
In 2024-25, six Lodges were included in the class of new Impact Grant recipients, and 50 Lodges received Renewal Impact Grants to continue to build stronger communities through existing projects.
The Beacon Grant was created so Elks Lodges could be a beacon of hope in their communities through an ongoing, charitable Elks-driven community project. When the Beacon Grant launched in 2012-13, it was worth $1,000.
By that winter, the ENF had already awarded 340 Beacon Grants. One of the Lodges to have already embraced the Beacon Grant was Sweet Home, Ore., Lodge No. 1972. Using the Beacon Grant, the Lodge hosted a back-to-school fair to provide school supplies to families in the community living below the poverty line.
In just one year, after much positive reception, the Beacon Grant increased to $2,000.
“We believe that Lodges can use these grants to help themselves and the community by engaging their membership and other people in meaningful service,” said ENF Director Jim O’Kelley in the 2013 spring issue of Heartbeat.
The Beacon Grant experienced a growth spurt starting in 2019-20, when it grew by $500 to $2,500. It grew to $3,000 in 2020-21, then to $3,500 in 2021-22, and to $4,000 in 2022-23.
Sweet Home, Ore., Lodge No. 1972 is still serving as a beacon of hope in its community. With its 2024-25 Beacon Grant, the Lodge continued its annual tradition of hosting a back-to-school fair. More than 50 kids and 30 adults were treated to hot dogs, games, and the ability to earn prizes for their school. The Lodge also purchased wish list items for teachers, provided gift cards to the Title X Homeless Advocates for families in need, and hope to keep the schools stocked with healthy snacks throughout the year.
“Many of the parents and especially the grandparents comment on how impressed they are with our member’s dedication to supporting youth,” wrote Roger Conner in the Lodge’s Final Report.
In 2024-25, the CIP awarded 1,452 Beacon Grants, granting nearly $7.5 million through combined Beacon and Spotlight Grants.
In 2019-20, the ENF debuted the Spotlight Grant, a $2,000 grant that every Lodge can use to shine a light on issues that affect nearly every American community. The Spotlight Grant was designed to be an on-ramp into the CIP for Lodges that had never used a grant by offering seven off-the-shelf project plans to help them get started.
“Our hope is that by eliminating a barrier to participation, the Spotlight Grant will eventually encourage more Lodges to apply for Beacon Grants,” said Lou Sulsberger, then-Chairman of the ENF Board of Trustees, in the spring 2019 issue of Heartbeat.
When the Spotlight Grant first launched, the project plans were focused on family literacy and homelessness among our nation’s veterans. We added a third issue in response to the COVID-19 pandemic when communities saw an increase in hunger and the lack of essential needs.
Now, Lodges can use the Spotlight Grant to increase food and essential needs accessibility in their communities, including through projects like providing food or items not provided by SNAP (hygiene products, cleaning supplies, etc.) to families, delivering meals to seniors who are homebound, or supporting a food pantry.
Several years after its introduction, the CIP offered the opportunity for Lodges to merge their Spotlight Grant with their Beacon Grant, allowing Lodges to do even more through their Beacon Grant project.
For its very first Spotlight Grant, Jackson, Wyo., Lodge No. 1713 hosted a Community Baby Shower through a partnership with a local literacy center. The Lodge packed bags of diapers and other essentials for families and collected books for different aged readers based on the literacy center and the local school’s recommendations.
“The biggest indicator of success was the arrival of parents and families 45 minutes before the scheduled start time,” wrote Grants Coordinator Robbi Farrow. “Families walked out with a bag of needed diapers, and children proudly carried their new books. One little girl was so excited, she could not stop jumping up and down with book in hand.”
Adjusting to the needs of its community, the Jackson Lodge switched to a hunger and essential needs assistance project in 2024-25. The Lodge hosted a free community Thanksgiving dinner, a project it originally completed with the Beacon Grant from 2016-2023. The Lodge now uses its Beacon Grant to provide people in its community with warm winter clothing.
“In addition to addressing the need of hunger,” wrote Grants Coordinator Rich Ochs, “we also provide a place for everyone in our community to come together and share a meal.”
Nearly 83% of last year’s Spotlight Grants were used for hunger and essential needs assistance. Armed with a total of $1,720,000, 1,424 Lodges used Spotlight Grants to shine a light in Elks communities.