The Spirit of Philanthropy Awards celebrate the commitment to investing in others and in the future of Missouri Southern. At each Lantern Society Dinner, we present the Spirit of Philanthropy Award to an individual and an organization whose generosity and vision have made an extraordinary difference for Missouri Southern State University.
| Year | Individual | Organization |
| 2025 | Dot Willcoxon | Arvest Bank |
| 2024 | David & Debra Humphreys | Liberty Utilities |
| 2023 | Bill & Tracy Gipson | Dorothea B. Hoover AAUW Foundation |
| 2019 | The Laferla Family | McCune-Brooks Healthcare Foundation |
| 2018 | George S. Beimdiek | Mercy Hospital Joplin |
| 2017 | Ralph L. Gray | Robert W. Plaster Foundation |
| 2016 | Pat & Carolyn Phelps | Roper Automotive |
| 2015 | Cynthia Schwab | Southwest Missouri Bank |
| 2014 | William Robert Corley | Leggett & Platt |
| 2013 | Ruth I. Koplin Rubison | Freeman Health System |
| 2012 | John & Joy Cragin | |
| 2011 | Maryann Mitts |
