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:
P.E.O.
Educational Loan Fund
P.E.O. International
Peace Scholarship Fund
P.E.O. Program for
Continuing Education
P.E.O. Scholar Awards
P.E.O. STAR Scholarship