We are P.E.O.

Women Helping Women Reach for the Stars

ABOUT P.E.O.

P.E.O. is a philanthropic organization where women celebrate the advancement of women; educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans, and stewardship of Cottey College, and motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations.

P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization), one of the pioneer societies for women, was founded on January 21, 1869, by seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Originally a small campus friendship society, P.E.O. soon blossomed to include women off campus.

Today, P.E.O. has grown from that tiny membership of seven to almost a quarter of a million members in chapters in the United States and Canada. The P.E.O. Sisterhood is passionate about its mission: Promoting educational opportunities for women. Our sisterhood proudly makes a difference in women’s lives with six philanthropies that include ownership of Cottey College, a women’s college with two-year and selected four-year programs, and five other philanthropies that provide higher educational assistance.

Philanthropy Projects

The P.E.O. Educational Loan Fund (ELF)

P.E.O. Educational Loan Fund (ELF) is a revolving loan fund established in 1907 to assist women who pursue further education.

P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship

P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship (IPS) was established in 1949 to provide scholarships for foreign women to pursue graduate study in the US and Canada.

P.E.O. Scholar Awards

 P.E.O. Scholar Awards (PSA) was created in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women who are pursuing a doctoral degree.

P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education

P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education (PCE) was established in 1973 to provide need-based grants to women whose education was interrupted and return to school.

P.E.O. Star Award

P.E.O. STAR Scholarship was established in 2009 to provide scholarships for exceptional high school seniors who attend further education.