Chesapeake Scholarship
To qualify, applicants must have at least a 3.0 grade point average; been accepted by an accredited college, university or vocational school; be a U.S. citizen or legal resident living in Tarrant or Dallas counties; and meet the definition of being a minority, as set by the Disadvantaged, Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise. (Please refer to nctrca.org, tab “certification,” for reference on the definition.)
Applications are available through the school counselor’s office at the Fort Worth ISD, from the Community Foundation of North Texas (www.cfntx.org), or in Dallas with the Dallas Foundation (www.dallasfoundation.org), or the Education is Freedom office at 214-306-6629.
To download the Chesapeake Scholarship brochure and application, click on the links below:
Chesapeake Scholarship Brochure
Johnson County Scholarship
To be considered for the Johnson County Chesapeake Scholarship, you must first submit an application. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2010. Criteria for scholarship applicants include the following:
- Must be a graduating senior of a participating high school located in Johnson County, Texas
- Must have a minimum GPA of 3.0
- Must have taken the ACT or SAT
- Must be accepted by an accredited college, university, or vocational school
- Must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident living in Johnson County, Texas
- Must be in need of financial assistance
To download the Johnson County Scholarship brochure, click on the link below:
Johnson County Scholarship Brochure
To request or pick up a scholarship application, please visit or call:
The Marti Foundation
1501 N Main Street, Suite D
Cleburne, TX 76033
817-558-0079
Chesapeake Scholarship Winners Announced
Sixteen deserving graduates in the class of 2009 have
been awarded scholarships of up to $80,000 each to
pursue their dreams of achieving a college degree.
The Chesapeake Scholarship was established to benefit minority and socially disadvantaged youth in select high schools in the Dallas Independent School District and all of the high schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District.
Chesapeake initiated the scholarship fund in 2007 with a donation of $1.25 million. Chesapeake then challenged the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth to match that contribution in one year's time. The cities not only met the challenge, but exceeded it. Chesapeake rewarded their efforts with an additional $1.25 million donation to the fund.
The fund, which is expected to help students for at least a decade, came out of Chesapeake’s work with DFW International Airport and the minority partners who share ownership with Chesapeake in a natural gas lease on airport grounds. The 2009 scholarship winners were announced at the DFW International Airport’s regular board meeting.
Chesapeake chose The Dallas Foundation and Community Foundation of North Texas to independently administer, through their respective selection committees, the scholarship awards to students. The unusually high dollar amounts – as much as $20,000 a year for four years – enable qualifying students to attend college and stay in college without financial worries.
“It will help me have more knowledge to accomplish my goals,” said Elizabeth Patino, 18, a scholarship winner from Dallas who plans to study nursing and medicine, either at the University of Texas at Arlington or Texas Woman’s University. Joe Posada, also 18 and from Dallas, said his scholarship will help him seek an education in emerging multimedia and communications. “It’s going to open some doors for me,” said Posada, who plans to attend the University of Texas at Dallas.
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief congratulated the students for their early accomplishments.
“Education is the common thread that will help us build our way to a better, more productive tomorrow for our city, our state and our country,” Leppert said. “But none of this would have been possible without the vision, generosity and commitment that Chesapeake Energy has made to these young people of Dallas/Fort Worth. Our thanks go out to them.”
Moncrief told the students, “You are about to embark upon an exciting adventure, and we have high hopes and expectations for each of you.… You have a tremendous amount of support from people who want nothing more than to see you succeed.”
Julie Wilson, Chesapeake Vice President of Public Affairs, said that the company, in establishing the scholarship fund, wants to see deserving students get a chance at college, no matter what their income level, with the understanding that they have to continue to study hard to keep their scholarships intact.
“We want these students to not only go to college, but to graduate,” Wilson said, adding, “The main purpose is to make the dream of a college education accessible to minority and socially disadvantaged young people who possess all of the talent, skills and ambition necessary to be successful.”
Mary Humphreys, with the Community Foundation of North Texas, which administers the scholarship in Fort Worth, agreed. “These students who apply for this are just wonderful,” Humphreys said. “We are very proud to be a part of this program.”
The Marti Foundation Announces Johnson County Chesapeake Scholarship Recipients
Back row from left to right: Justin Bond, Mr. Harrington,
George Marti, Ms. Ownbey, Mr. Ownbey, Dr. Ronny Beard.
Front row from left to right: Ms. Harrington, Bailey Harrington,
Kaley Ownbey.
Not pictured: Allison Brown
The Marti Foundation, a Johnson County administrator of charitable educational-based awards, has announced that Allison Brown and Kaley Ownbey have been selected to receive the 2009 Johnson County Chesapeake Energy Scholarship.
Allison Brown, a 2009 Godley High School valedictorian, will use the Chesapeake scholarship at the University of Texas, where she will work toward a degree in nursing. Kaley Ownbey graduated in the top 10 percent of her senior class at Cleburne High School and will use her scholarship funds to study accounting at the University of North Texas.
“The Marti Foundation appreciates Chesapeake’s generous investment in Johnson County youth,” said Michelle Marti, Board Member and Secretary of the Marti Foundation. “The selection committee felt that these two young women exhibited both the educational and personal characteristics to be successful in their academic endeavors.”
“Chesapeake is pleased to help underwrite the educational efforts of these hardworking Johnson County youth,” said Leah King, Senior Director of Public Affairs for Chesapeake. “We know these scholarship funds will not only help Miss Brown and Miss Ownbey reach their respective educational goals, but will also contribute to shaping the future of Johnson County for many years to come,” King added.
Chesapeake established the scholarship program to benefit qualified Johnson County high school graduates. Chesapeake will fund five annual gifts of $25,000, for a total of $125,000 that will be available to qualifying seniors until 2013. The Marti Foundation will match those funds during the next five years, and a community-based committee will select the scholarship recipients each year.
Chesapeake chose the Marti Foundation to administer the planned five-year scholarship program for Johnson County. The foundation was selected because they have tremendous experience in providing guidance and structuring educational scholarships.
Chesapeake also announced the recipent of the $5,000 scholarship from the Chesapeake Scholars Program. Cleburne Independent School District (ISD) awarded the scholarship to Bailey Harrington, the 2009 Salutatorian from Cleburne High School. Bailey will be attending Texas A&M University in College Station and will use the funds toward her tuition and books.
The Chesapeake Scholars program was established in March 2008 in partnership with the Cleburne ISD, following a $25,000 donation from Chesapeake. The $5,000 scholarship is distributed by the Cleburne ISD and the annual recipient is the Cleburne High School salutatorian. The scholarship will be granted each year through 2012.
For more information on these scholarships, click here.