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THE P.E.O. SISTERHOOD was founded January 21, 1869,
at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa-is a philanthropic and
educational organization interested in bringing to women increased opportunities
for higher education. There are 5,866 local chapters in the United States
and Canada with 251,870 active members. The educational and philanthropic
purposes of P.E.O. are accomplished through International, state and
local projects. The six educational projects supported by P.E.O. are: P.E.O. EDUCATIONAL LOAN FUND was established
as a revolving fund to lend money to worthy women students to assist
them in securing a higher education. Since it was established in 1907,
more than $76,300,000 has been loaned to more than 38,000 women. Applicants
must be sponsored by a local COTTEY JUNIOR COLLEGE was founded in 1884
and owned and supported by the P.E.O. Sisterhood since 1927. Cottey
is a fully accredited liberal arts college for women in Nevada, Missouri,
providing its students with quality education, leadership opportunities
and cultural experiences. P.E.O. INTERNATIONAL PEACE SCHOLARSHIP
FUND was established in 1949 to provide scholarships for international
students to pursue graduate study in the United States and Canada and
to encourage peace through education and understanding. To date, over
4,500 women from 152 countries have received nearly $15,000,000. P.E.O. PROGRAM FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION
was established in 1973 to provide need-based grants to women in the
United States and Canada whose education has been interrupted and who
find it necessary to return to school to support themselves and/or their
families. This project has awarded more than $18,000,000 in small grants
to more than 20,000 women. Applicants are recommended and sponsored
by P.E.O. chapters. P.E.O. SCHOLAR AWARDS was established in
1991 to provide substantial awards to women of the United States and
Canada who are pursuing advanced degrees or are engaged in advanced
study and research. Since its inception, 795 awards have been given
or a total of $5,115,000. Nominations for this award come from local
chapters. P.E.O. STAR Scholarship (Scholastic Talent Accomplishment Recognition) is P.E.O.’s newest project, being established in September of 2009. The scholarship was created to provide recognition for high school women pursuing post-secondary education at accredited institutions. While in it’s pilot phase, 151 recipients each received a $2,500 scholarship. Applicants are nominated by P.E.O. chapters. THE P.E.O. FOUNDATION is a nonprofit corporation established in 1961 to encourage tax-deductible gifts to the educational and charitable projects of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Because it qualifies as a charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, gifts and bequests made to and in the name of the Foundation are deductible for U.S. and state income, estate and gift tax purposes. THE HEADQUARTERS of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, including
the P.E.O. Foundation and The P.E.O. Record (the official publication
of the P.E.O. Sisterhood), are located in the P.E.O. Executive Office,
3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312-2899. The telephone number
is 515-255-3153; the fax |