JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick announced that the Office of the Treasurer is accepting 2023 Educational Assistance Organization (EAO) applications for the MOScholars program. Current EAOs can submit renewal requests. Applications will close on Monday, October 31 at 5:00 p.m.
An EAO is a non-profit organization that, upon approval by the Missouri State Treasurer’s Office, may receive qualified contributions from individuals and corporations to establish MOScholars scholarship accounts for eligible Missouri students. EAO establishes and maintains relationships with eligible schools to create a network of schools where students can use scholarship funds to attend.
By law, the Treasurer’s Office can certify up to ten EAOs per year, with no more than six having their principal place of business in one of the following countries: Greene County, Jackson County, St. Charles County, of St. Louis or St. .City of Louis.
The Office of the Treasurer has certified six EAOs from across the state for 2022. These EAOs have awarded more than 900 scholarships to students from all eligible areas of the state since the program launched four months ago.
In 2021, the Missouri General Assembly passed HB349 and SB86 which established the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Account Program, MOScholars. The law provides state tax credits for contributions to approved nonprofit EAOs. These EAOs use the contributions to award scholarships to Missouri students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and students living in low-income households. EAO applications and program information can be found here.
