CenterPoint Energy Foundation accepting grant applications
Emphasizing commitment to community vitality and education, the Foundation welcomes applications through Feb. 16
2024-01-31T06:00:00Z

Houston – Jan. 31, 2024 – The CenterPoint Energy Foundation is currently accepting applications for its first 2024 grant cycle through Feb. 16.

Funded separately and financially independent from the utility, the Foundation strives to be a catalyst in communities it serves by leveraging everyday opportunities and resources to build vibrancy in those communities.

The Foundation awards grants to eligible organizations and programs supporting community vitality and education. Priority consideration is given to programs serving low-to-moderate income families and under-resourced communities.

“As we reflect on the impact of the Foundation's funding in 2023, we are filled with renewed enthusiasm to continue building meaningful partnerships with our community stakeholders," said Alicia Dixon, Director of Community Relations at CenterPoint Energy. “Our focus remains on investing in initiatives which enhance lives today and lay the groundwork for a better tomorrow. We invite eligible organizations to apply for a grant during our first cycle of funding for 2024."

In 2023, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation's commitment to community engagement and development was demonstrated through significant contributions, including more than 90,000 volunteer hours and the awarding of $14.8 million in grants across Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. Highlighting the scope and impact of this support through the Foundation's six-state footprint, some of the most notable projects of 2023 include:

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (Indiana): In partnership with the State of Indiana, the Foundation provided a $725,000 grant to expand Dolly Parton's Imagination Library into four new counties and continued support for eight other counties. As a result of the Foundation's donations, more than 164,000 books were distributed in 2023.

No Student Left Behind: Mentorship and STEM Career Guidance (Louisiana): The “No Student Left Behind" project is designed to provide mentorship activities, increasing awareness of post-secondary and career opportunities to under-resourced populations. The Foundation awarded a $30,000 grant to the project, which also has a long-term goal of increasing retention and completion rates and higher overall grade point averages of student participants.  “No Student Left Behind" will also inform participants of opportunities in STEM education as well as introduce foundational engineering and technology principles to middle and high school youths.

Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative (Minnesota): Bimosedaa, which means “Let's Walk Together," is an affordable housing project created in partnership with the Red Lake Nation and a $100,000 grant from the Foundation. This project will offer housing as well as culturally tailored services for Native Americans in Minneapolis. The CenterPoint Energy Foundation is proud to support such an important project with the goal of reducing homelessness among the Native American population.

Pascagoula Streetscape Improvement (Mississippi): In partnership with the city of Pascagoula, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation provided a $40,000 grant to the Streetscape Improvement project. This project will add walking paths, landscaping and lighting to continue to bring businesses and the community together.

OH Taste (Ohio): The Foundation provided a $200,000 grant to 6888 Kitchen Incubator. The food business incubator, set to open in the historic Arcade of Dayton Ohio, is dedicated to providing training, business support resources and commercial kitchen space for under-resourced food entrepreneurs, which are identified as those who are socially disadvantaged or who have limited resources.

Houston Habitat for Humanity (Texas): In partnership with community residents and nonprofit partners, Houston Habitat for Humanity is transforming 127 acres in northeast Houston into a mixed-use community. This project will include 468 affordable single-family homes and up to 500 multi-family units for individuals and families at all stages of life. The Foundation provided a $150,000 grant to support a public park within the neighborhood.

For a closer look at how the CenterPoint Energy Foundation is making a difference in the communities it serves and for information on how to apply, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Foundation.​

About CenterPoint Energy

As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. As of September 30, 2023 the company owned approximately $39 billion in assets. With approximately 8,900 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com. CenterPoint Energy Foundation is a charitable organization focused on strengthening the quality of life in the communities served by the company. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Foundation.


 Recent News

 

 
CenterPoint Energy Continues to Closely Monitor the Weather and Take Actions to Prepare for Potential Wildfire Risk Weather

National Weather Service has issued a "Fire Weather Watch" for large portions of Texas with the risk of strong winds and fire danger in the Greater Houston area from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday

CenterPoint working closely with local emergency partners and will communicate with customers about the risk of potential outages due to wildfire conditions

HOUSTON, March 14, 2025 - CenterPoint Energy continues to closely monitor evolving weather conditions and is taking precautionary measures to mitigate wildfire risk as the National Weather Service issued a Fire Weather Watch for large portions of Texas including in the Greater Houston area on Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. Due to the potentially dangerous weather conditions, including high wind gusts, dry fuels and low humidity, CenterPoint is actively preparing its response, including conducting pre-inspections, adjusting power line safety settings, communicating with customers, and working closely with local emergency agencies. As part of its customer outreach, CenterPoint will be notifying customers via its Power Alert Service in the Cypress, Fort Bend and Katy areas of the possibility that extreme weather and wind conditions could result in some temporary safety outages during part of the day on Saturday.  

"Our highest priority is the safety of the customers and the communities we serve, and we are closely monitoring and preparing for extreme weather conditions that may impact our system. While the fire risk is currently lower for our service area than in other parts of the state, we are staying focused and taking action to prepare our equipment and customers if weather conditions worsen and the risk of fire grows. We will keep customers informed via social media, email, text and Power Alert Service, and in the event of any temporary safety outages we will restore power safely and as quickly as possible," said Don Daigler, Senior Vice President, Emergency Planning & Response.

  • Actively Monitoring Weather: Carefully monitoring the weather for potential high winds and fire danger in parts of the Greater Houston area (electric) and South Texas (natural gas operations).
  • Inspecting and Hardening Key Power Lines: Inspecting power lines in areas of heightened fire risk, clearing hazardous vegetation near power lines and conducting repairs where needed, ahead of potential extreme weather.
  • Inspecting Natural Gas Facilities: Inspecting gas facilities in areas of heightened fire risk and clearing hazardous vegetation near facilities ahead of potential extreme weather.
  • Adjusting Safety Settings: Adjusting the settings on some power lines for safety between noon and 9 p.m. on Saturday.
  • Bringing on Additional Crews to Respond: Positioning CenterPoint crews and additional contractors to respond to any power outages or natural gas service interruptions that may occur. Additional resources will be utilized to restore power safely and as quickly as possible as well as perform natural gas re-lights when conditions allow.
  • Coordinating with Local Emergency Partners: Proactively sharing information with state, county and local leaders.
  • Communicating with Customers: Proactively communicating with customers in the Cypress, Fort Bend and Katy areas about the potential for impacts due to extreme fire danger.

Important Safety Tips for Customers
CenterPoint encourages all customers to stay informed about weather conditions and make a plan to stay safe, including during a potential power outage. Customers can also get the latest information on CenterPoint's preparedness and response efforts and view important safety tips by visiting CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter. Additional preparations tips are available at Ready.gov. 

How to Stay Informed: Sign Up for PAS
CenterPoint electric customers are encouraged to enroll in the company's Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times and customer-specific restoration updates by phone call, text or email. Customers can also stay up to date with CenterPoint's new and improved, cloud-based Outage Tracker, available in English and Spanish, which allows customers to see outages by county, city and zip code.

Customers can also follow @CenterPoint_TX to receive the most up-to-date information on the company's operations in the Greater Houston area and across Texas.

For the latest weather information for the Greater Houston area, view updates from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Houston/Galveston at weather.gov/hgx.

For more information, contact:
Communications
Media.Relations@CenterPointEnergy.com

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy continues its resiliency efforts across the 12-county region through its Foundation’s Community Generator Donation Program; Donates two backup generators to key facilities in Fort Bend County

​​Houston – March 14, 2025 – Today, at an announcement in Missouri City, Texas with elected officials and community leaders, CenterPoint Energy leaders announced the donation of two backup generators at key locations in Fort Bend County as part of its Community Generator Donation Program to support local community resiliency. Through this program, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation is donating funds for 21 backup generators at key locations throughout its 12-county Greater Houston region. It is expected that there will be at least one generator or other support for each county.

The generators will be installed at the Landmark Community Center and the Pecan Grove Sports Complex The company is working in close collaboration with local Offices of Emergency Management (OEMs) and other county and city leaders to identify the appropriate locations for the donated generators to be able to have the greatest impact and local benefit.

The Community Generator Donation Program is part of CenterPoint's Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI). The backup generators will help provide support for critical community partners during major weather events or other emergencies and are funded through a $5 million grant from the CenterPoint Energy Foundation at no cost to customers. The CenterPoint Energy Foundation is a charitable giving organization focused on strengthening the quality of life in the communities served by the company. The foundation is funded by shareholders and has no impact on customer rates. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com/Foundation.

“We are committed to improving resiliency in our local communities and working closely with our community partners to achieve this important goal. Today, we are announcing the donation of backup generation resources to support our partners in Fort Bend County, and we look forward to sharing other locations for our Community Generator Donation Program with other counties and cities in the weeks and months ahead. These 21 generators are each capable of powering an entire large building and will help make the communities we are proud to serve even more resilient during major storms and other emergency events," said June Deadrick, CenterPoint Vice President of Community Relations.

These backup generators will provide an additional power supply during major storms and other emergency events that cause outages. Facilities that receive the donated backup generators will be able to better serve their communities during outages, acting as hubs for essential services like medical care, cooling stations, water and food distribution, charging stations for critical devices and other services.

Working with Community Partners on Locations
To support local community needs, CenterPoint is working closely with county and city officials and OEMs to identify and select the ideal locations for the donated generators, with local officials ultimately deciding which critical facilities will receive the donations.

Over the next several months, CenterPoint will be coordinating with local community partners to ensure the backup generators are suitable to meet the specific needs of the critical facility they have identified. The goal is to have all generators installed and operational by June 1, 2025, to further resiliency ahead of the 2025 hurricane season.

CenterPoint is working with other county OEMs, and county and city leaders across the Greater Houston region to make similar announcements in the coming weeks and months.

​

PHOTO: From L to R: Paul Lock, CenterPoint Director of Local Government Affairs; Greg Babst, Emergency Management Coordinator at Fort Bend Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management; Ron Reynolds, Texas State Representative for House District 27; June Deadrick, CenterPoint Vice President, Community Relations; KP George, Fort Bend County Judge; Darren McCarthy, Fort Bend County Parks and Recreation Director; Steve Bezecny, CenterPoint Vice President of Regulatory Services, Natural Gas.
 
More photos: CNP Digital Asset Mgmt
 
About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
As the only investor-owned electric and gas utility based in Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is an energy delivery company with electric transmission and distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution operations that serve more than 7 million metered customers in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. With approximately 9,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com. ​

CenterPoint Energy teams remain on alert, continue storm monitoring and preparation for potential severe weather threat for southwestern Indiana

​Evansville, Ind. – March 14, 2025 – CenterPoint Energy remains focused on preparedness as severe weather is forecasted to impact southwestern Indiana later this evening. According to the latest updates from the National Weather Service, strong wind gusts of up to 40 to 50 mph are expected this afternoon and this evening, with higher gusts possible. A line of severe thunderstorms is expected to develop later tonight, bringing the potential for damaging winds, large hail and the possibility of an isolated tornado. Additional storms could develop on Saturday with the potential for heavy rainfall in some areas.  

CenterPoint's continued storm preparation efforts
With the potential for severe weather in the forecast, CenterPoint is continuing to take proactive steps to prepare for possible impacts:

  • Activating additional frontline electric crews: Readied additional local full-time and contract frontline workers to help with the storm response.
  • Pre-staging additional material and equipment: Operations team has prepared additional inventory for deployment in the event of damage to poles and other equipment.
  • Sharing customer communications: Sharing safety and preparedness actions with CenterPoint customers across social media and other platforms to help keep customers informed and prepared.
  • Preparing to conduct patrols and assess damage: Once storms exit the area and it's safe to do so, CenterPoint crews will be deployed across its service territory to assess damage.

“Our crews will be staged and prepared to respond safely and efficiently should outages occur," said Shane Bradford, CenterPoint's Vice President, Indiana Electric. “We are taking the necessary precautions and closely monitoring the evolving conditions to be ready to support our southwestern Indiana customers and communities."

Understanding power restoration and potential repairs
As part of its proactive communication ahead of the storm, CenterPoint is reminding customers how power restoration is prioritized in the event of service interruptions due to severe weather. Restoration efforts begin with critical infrastructure, followed by repairs that restore service to the greatest number of customers before addressing individual outages.

Safety and preparedness tips
CenterPoint encourages customers to take steps to prepare for severe weather:

  • Stay informed: Monitor local weather updates and alerts from the National Weather Service. Follow CenterPoint on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) for updates.
  • Downed power line safety: Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines and report them by calling 800-227-1376.
  • Prepare an emergency kit: Keep flashlights, batteries, water, medications and a battery-powered phone charger ready.

Electric customers encouraged to enroll in Power Alert Service ®
Customers are encouraged to enroll in Power Alert Service® to receive outage details, estimated restoration times, as available or determined, and customer-specific restoration updates in the event of severe weather. With the option to receive updates via phone call, text or email, Power Alert Service® helps keep customers informed of restoration progress during an outage event.

Customers can get storm-related electric, natural gas and flooding safety tips at CenterPointEnergy.com/StormCenter.​

CenterPoint Energy reminds customers of payment assistance options as Indiana’s winter disconnection moratorium ends

​​Evansville, Ind. – March 13, 2025 – As the winter heating season concludes and Indiana's winter moratorium on utility disconnections ends on March 15, CenterPoint Energy is reminding customers of available resources to help manage their energy bills. The company continues to take proactive steps to provide assistance and encourages customers to contact CenterPoint as soon as possible to discuss available options.

Indiana law protects customers enrolled in income-qualified programs, such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), from service disconnection during colder months.

“All of us at CenterPoint remain committed to supporting our customers," said Tony Gardner, CenterPoint Energy's Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. “We encourage anyone who may need assistance to contact us and learn more about the resources available to help manage their bills."

CenterPoint offers various programs, tools and tips to help customers manage their bills and save energy. The company encourages those facing hardship to call CenterPoint to find out about payment arrangements and be referred to resources that may be available.

Available programs include:

  • Payment Arrangement: Customers who are having difficulty paying bills in full can request a payment arrangement to fulfill the obligation in smaller increments over a set period of time. Eligible customers can request a payment arrangement by calling 1-800-227-1376.
  • Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) – Provides financial assistance to income-eligible households and is available through April 14.
  • Universal Service Fund (USF) – Helps natural gas customers who have received LIHEAP save 16-32% on their bills from December 1 to May 31.
  • Fall Turn-On Program – Helps eligible natural gas customers restore service with up to $200 in assistance.
  • Keep Service On Program – Beginning March 11, provides up to $200 to help eligible natural gas customers maintain their service.
  • Township trustee assistance – Available year-round, with eligibility and support levels determined by local trustee offices.

More information can be found at CenterPointEnergy.com/PaymentAssistance.

As the winter heating season ends, CenterPoint Energy reminds Ohio customers of payment assistance options

​Dayton – March 13, 2025 – As the winter heating season concludes and Ohio's special reconnect order ends, CenterPoint Energy is reminding customers of available resources to help manage their energy bills. The company continues to take proactive steps to provide assistance and encourages customers to contact CenterPoint as soon as possible to discuss available options.

“All of us at CenterPoint remain committed to supporting our customers," said Tony Gardner, CenterPoint Energy's Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer. “We encourage anyone who may need assistance to contact us and learn more about the resources available to help manage their bills."

CenterPoint offers various programs, tools and tips to help customers manage their bills and save energy. The company encourages those facing hardship to call CenterPoint to find out about payment arrangements and be referred to resources that may be available.

Available programs include:

  • Payment Arrangement: Customers having difficulty paying bills in full can request a payment arrangement to fulfill the obligation in smaller increments over a set period of time. Eligible customers can request a payment arrangement by calling 1-800-227-1376.
  • Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)/ Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (E-HEAP): Ohio customers seeking energy bill assistance should contact the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD). This agency administers the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) for income-eligible customers. To qualify for HEAP, your annual household income cannot exceed 175% of the poverty guidelines. During the winter, the ODOD also offers a program called Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (E-HEAP) that provides assistance once per heating season to eligible households that are disconnected or threatened with disconnection. For HEAP or E-HEAP information, call the ODOD at 1-800- 282-0880
  • Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus (PIPP Plus): PIPP Plus is an extended payment arrangement for eligible Ohio customers that requires regulated gas companies to accept payments based on a percentage of the household income. To qualify for PIPP Plus, annual household income cannot exceed 175% of the federal poverty guidelines. Contact the ODOD at 1-800-282-0880 for more information.
  • Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP): HWAP provides eligible customers with energy efficiency improvements. Eligibility is determined by a household income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Customers who received assistance from the HEAP program within the last 12 months are automatically eligible. HWAP can assist with services including furnace replacement/repair, insulation, air sealing and hot water tank replacement/repair. For more information about HWAP, please call the Miami Valley Community Action Partnership at 937-341-5000.

More information can be found at CenterPointEnergy.com/PaymentAssistance. Customers can also find a list of utility assistance programs on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio website.​​