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To donate to P.E.O., click here for an online form or use one of the forms below:
Contact Us
If you are a member of a Texas P.E.O. chapter and are having trouble logging in to the website, please contact your chapter technology chair for assistance.
About P.E.O.
P.E.O. is a Philanthropic Educational Organization where women celebrate the advancement of women; educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans and stewardship of Cottey College; and motivate each other to achieve their highest aspirations.
Seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, founded one of the original societies for women, P.E.O. on January 21, 1869. Originally a small campus friendship society, P.E.O., soon grew to include women off campus.
P.E.O. has grown from the original membership of seven to almost a quarter of a million members in chapters in the United States and Canada. P.E.O. is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. In Texas we have over 250 chapters and more than 9,500 active members.
Click here to learn more about Membership in P.E.O.
Texas P.E.O. History
In 1902 Mary Florence Cowell, former treasurer of Missouri State Chapter, brought P.E.O. to Texas with the organization of Chapter A in Whitesboro on September 4. Texas State Chapter was organized in Whitesboro in 1928 with Mary Florence Cowell elected as the first state president. She is known as the “Mother of P.E.O. in Texas.” A Texas Historical Marker honoring her can be seen at her home in Whitesboro.
Projects
The P.E.O. Sisterhood is passionate about our mission: promoting educational opportunities for women. We proudly make a difference in women’s lives with six International educational projects and two state projects.
P.E.O. Educational Loan Fund
P.E.O. Educational Loan Fund (ELF), established in 1907, makes loans available to qualified women who desire higher education and are in need of financial assistance. A student must be recommended by a local chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood and within two years of completing her course of study. The current maximum loan amount is $12,000 for associate and bachelor degree programs, technical or professional training, and postgraduate certifications, $15,000 for master’s degrees, and $20,000 for doctoral level degrees. Currently, loans have a 2% interest rate and payback begins 6 months after graduation.
P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship
P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship (IPS) Fund was established in 1949 to provide scholarships for international women students to pursue graduate study in the United States and Canada. The current maximum scholarship is $12,500.
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 in the United States and Canada whose education has been interrupted for more than 2 years and who find it necessary to return to school to support themselves and/or their families. The maximum grant of $4,000 may be used for academic or technical courses.
P.E.O. Scholar Awards
P.E.O. Scholar Awards (PSA) was established in 1991 to provide substantial merit–based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral level degree at an accredited college or university. The current award is $25,000.
P.E.O. Scholar Awards
P.E.O. Scholar Awards (PSA) was established in 1991 to provide substantial merit–based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral level degree at an accredited college or university. The current award is $25,000.
Cottey College
Cottey College is a fully accredited, four-year independent liberal arts and sciences college for women. Located in Nevada, Missouri, the College has been owned and operated by the P.E.O. Sisterhood since 1927.
P.E.O. STAR Scholarship
The P.E.O. STAR Scholarship was established in 2009 to provide non-renewable $2,500 scholarships to exceptional high school graduating women to attend accredited post-secondary educational institutions in the United States and Canada in the next academic year.
Texas State Projects
Texas Cottey College Scholarship Funds
Texas Cottey College Scholarship Funds (TCCSF) is a Texas project providing scholarships and grants to academically qualified Texas women attending Cottey College.
Texas Star Oaks Fund, Inc.
Texas Star Oaks Fund, Inc. (TSOFI) provides assistance for P.E.O.s and/or U.S. citizens residing in the state of Texas who are in dire financial need. Grants up to $7,000 are awarded to help provide financial support for an improved quality of life, to help achieve economic self-sufficiency, or to provide emergency assistance.