Establish a Fund

The P.E.O. Foundation offers the opportunity for individuals or chapters to establish a permanently endowed fund. The fund may be named as the donor wishes and is often established in the donor’s name or in the name of one being honored or memorialized. Email fdn@peodsm.org with questions about setting up a fund.

A U.S. $1,000 initial deposit toward the minimum permanent balance of U.S. $5,000 is required. The minimum permanent balance must be reached within five years.
Only students enrolled in a U.S. or Canadian postsecondary institution are eligible for scholarship awards from any P.E.O. Foundation fund. Study abroad is still permitted, provided the student is enrolled in a U.S. or Canadian institution. For recipients enrolled in a U.S. post-secondary institution, that institution must be accredited and listed in the U.S. Department of Education’s Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs.

The P.E.O. Foundation scholarship recipients must be citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States or Canada, with the exception of scholarships paid to students attending Cottey College.

Types of funds held in the P.E.O. Foundation

Transfer Funds to P.E.O. Educational Project(s)

Donors may establish a fund with the income automatically transferred annually or accumulated until sufficient to pay a full award to one or more of the qualified educational and charitable projects of P.E.O.

Undesignated Funds

Funds may be established for the benefit of the P.E.O. educational projects without the donor having to determine the exact distribution of income. Donors may leave that decision to the P.E.O. Foundation Board of Trustees. The income from Undesignated Funds is distributed to the P.E.O. educational projects annually.

Cottey College Scholarship Funds

Funds may be established for payment of Cottey College scholarships. Scholarships will be paid directly to Cottey College for a student who has been chosen by your scholarship committee. If your wish is for personnel at Cottey College to choose the recipient, then a transfer fund to Cottey College may be established for this purpose.

General Scholarship Funds

Funds may be established for payment of a scholarship to a female student who has been chosen by your scholarship committee and may be paid to the recipient or to the school in which she is enrolled. No scholarship fund shall be established whereby the income is transferred to a school or other foundation for their selection of recipients.

Get more details on Scholarship funds.

If your chapter is interested in establishing a scholarship fund in the P.E.O. Foundation, use this checklist during your conversations to determine if it is right for your chapter. We encourage chapters to commit to a continued focus on the International projects of P.E.O., making sure that their giving to the projects will not be impacted by establishing a scholarship in the Foundation.

Form to Establish a Fund in the P.E.O. Foundation

If you would like to establish a fund in the P.E.O. Foundation, use either the online form or PDF form below. After completing the PDF form, it can be mailed to the address listed.

Online Form to Establish a Fund in the P.E.O. Foundation
PDF Form to Establish a Fund in the P.E.O. Foundation