About
The Lawrence Home Association, founded in 1896, under the will of philanthropist Eleanor Earshaw, was started to “provide a Christian home for self-supporting young women of limited means, the most important aim being to help them elevate their standard of life.”
To this day, the Lawrence Home Association’s minority women and clergy daughters’ grants provide educational opportunities for women in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. The grants are reviewed and determined by a board composed of eight women appointed by the bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio.
On average up to eight grants are made to minority women and five to clergy daughters to support studies in post-secondary education. Annually up to three grants are made to nonprofit agencies whose mission is to serve women of limited means and help move them out of poverty and abuse.
Funding for the Lawrence Home Association Grants comes from the interest on the Earnshaw Bequest and the William Cooper Procter Fund. On average $95,000 is available to allocate to minority women, clergy daughters and non-profit agencies.
Minority Women Grant Criteria
- The Academic Grant for Minority Women is open to all minority women who are affiliated with an Episcopal church in the Diocese of Southern Ohio.
- Applicants must be in pursuit of a postsecondary education in a degreed program or on a postsecondary track toward a professional certification.
- No age restrictions apply.
- No socioeconomic criteria apply.
- Applicants must fill out a brief application (below) that includes a biography and an essay to be considered.
- Applications must be signed by a member of the clergy in the Diocese of Southern Ohio.
- Grant awards are limited to four consecutive years.
- Grant awards are based on the availability of funding for the Lawrence Home Association’s Academic Grant for Minority Women program.
- Upon award, applicants must present a class schedule or school registration.
Clergy Daughter Tuition Assistance Grant Criteria
Tuition assistance is available for daughters of priests who are in active service in the diocese. Students are eligible to receive a grant each year for up to four years.
Nonprofit Agency Grants
Annually, the Lawrence Home Association grants are awarded to up to three agencies who mission is to serve women who need transition housing and workforce development training in order to become self-sufficient within the Greater Cincinnati region of the Diocese of Southern Ohio. These agencies have been specifically designated.
Apply
Applications for 2026 grants and scholarships are due March 27, 2026 April 10, 2026.
The Granting Committee
Deborah Allsop – St. Simon of Cyrene, Lincoln Heights (Chair) – Email
Diane Ebbs – Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati
Jamie Fetz – Church of the Epiphany, Urbana
Ericka Hall – St. Philip, Columbus
Barbara Hudson-Banner – St. Margaret’s, Trotwood
Katrina Mundy – St. Andrew’s, Evanston
Dorothy Powell – All Saints, Pleasant Ridge
Margo Rapp – St. Barnabas, MontgomerySarah Beegle – Staff Liaison
