Chapter IR's IRresistible Online Auction

Each Fall, Chapter IR of P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) holds an auction to support P.E.O. projects providing educational opportunities for women via six international philanthropies and three projects unique to Washington State as shown below.

As of June, 2026, P.E.O. has awarded over $490 million in scholarships, grants and loans to more than 132,000 women to pursue educational goals!

P.E.O. chapters support the educational and charitable funds of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, but are not classified as charitable by the IRS. Therefore, donations to individual chapters do not meet the IRS requirements for a charitable income tax deduction. P.E.O. shall not be liable in any way for any goods and services supplied by third-party vendors or public establishments.

Chapter IR/WA Scholarship. Established in 2025, provides financial assistance to Whatcom County women seeking post-secondary education.

P.E.O. Educational Loan Fund. A revolving loan fund established in 1907 to lend money to qualified women students to assist them in securing a higher education.

P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship (IPS). A fund established in 1949 to provide scholarships for international women students to pursue graduate study in the U.S. and Canada.

P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education (PCE). Established in 1973 to provide need-based grants to women in the U.S. and Canada whose education has been interrupted and who find it necessary to return to school to support themselves and/or their families.

P.E.O. Scholar Awards (PSA). Established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the U.S. and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university.

P.E.O. STAR Scholarship (STAR). Established in 2009 to provide scholarships for exceptional high school senior women to attend an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the U.S. or Canada in the next academic year.

Cottey College. A nationally ranked, fully accredited, independent, liberal arts/sciences college for women located in Nevada, Missouri, has been owned and supported by P.E.O. since 1927 and offers baccalaureate and associate degrees in a variety of majors. Cottey College, a debt-free institution, welcomes women from around the world.

WA Emergency Assistance Fund. Created in 1929 at the beginning of the depression, this fund give temporary assistance to members and non-members who have unexpected short-term financial needs.

The Edith Markham Wallace Cottey Scholarship. Provides financial assistance to Washington State students attending Cottey College. 




 

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 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 international projects and three Washington State projects:

P.E.O. Educational Loan Fund
Cottey College
P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund
P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education
P.E.O. Scholar Awards
P.E.O. STAR Award
P.E.O. Chapter IR/WA Scholarship
WA Emergency Assistance Fund
The Edith Markham Wallace Cottey Scholarship

Past President of International Chapter, Joyce Goff, defined P.E.O. as, “Women who care helping women who dare.”