Chairman’s Scholarship Fund
The CenterPoint Energy Chairman’s Scholarship Fund was established to assist students who are dedicated to community involvement and volunteerism.
Chairman's Scholarship Fund
The CenterPoint Energy Chairman’s Scholarship Fund (formerly the Don D Jordan Scholarship) honors all of our past chairmen including Don D. Jordan and recently retired Milton Carroll. It was established to provide recognition to students who have shown a consistent dedication to community involvement and volunteerism, and who have been motivated by their families to help others and invest in their community. In addition, it reinforces the corporate philosophy of philanthropy.
This scholarship is paid for by the Chairman’s Scholarship Foundation.
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants to the Chairman’s Scholarship Fund must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be dependent* children, age 25 and under, of CenterPoint Energy employees (active, retired, disabled, deceased while in service, or an LTD recipient) who have a minimum of one year of employment with the company by January 1 of 2026. The student must be age 25 or less at the starting date of any semester under this scholarship.
*Dependent children are defined as children or legal dependents who qualify as federal tax exemptions to the employee. - Be high school seniors or graduates, or currently enrolled undergraduates, who plan to enroll in full-time study toward a four-year, associate’s or technical degree or completion of a recognized course of study at an academically accredited institution.
*Full-time is defined as at least 12 credit hours each semester and 24 credit hours in an academic year, or the equivalent (in the event the institution uses a different measure of academic credit).
- Dependents of CNP officers are not eligible to apply.
Awards
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive an award of $5,000.
Awards are not renewable, but students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements. Students may receive the award a total of four years, or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first.
Students receiving a Chairman’s Scholarship Fund are not eligible to receive a CenterPoint Energy Scholarship during the same academic year.
Awards are for undergraduate study only.
Notification
All applicants will be notified in April.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of CenterPoint Energy. Payment is made in August. Payments are made payable to the postsecondary institution and mailed directly to the applicant to the home address included on the application.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- The extent and quality of their volunteer and community involvement over the past four years
- An essay on their service
- An online recommendation related to their service.
No other criteria is considered.
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of CenterPoint Energy play a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Requirements
As part of your application, please upload a current transcript or proof of high school degree/GED for verification purposes only.
One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than March 6, 2026 3:00 PM Central Time.
While your application will be reviewed, it is not considered complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically by the deadline.
