The vision of The Phoebe Scholarship is that as more Australian women are theologically-trained, they and other women encouraged by their example will be equipped and enabled to take up leadership in theological education, ministry, church governance, and the wider community.
The Phoebe Scholarship aims to support Australian Christian women with evangelical and egalitarian commitments to complete PhDs in theology or biblical studies. One hope of The Phoebe Scholarship is that women who have received this training will contribute to academic dialogue in theology and biblical studies through their research, by presenting their research in seminars, conferences, and publications, and by undertaking academic teaching. Another hope is that these women will contribute to the wider life of the church and community, by faith, preaching, teaching, ministry, and example.
To this end, the goal of The Phoebe Scholarship is to offer a full-time living allowance of approximately $35,000 per annum (matching the rate determined each year by the Commonwealth) for up to three years for a Christian woman with evangelical and egalitarian commitments who has been granted a place in a PhD program in theology or biblical studies at an Australian university or college as a domestic student, and has been awarded a full fee-remission scholarship, but has not been awarded an accompanying living allowance.
Donors
The Phoebe Scholarship is a registered Australian company (ACN 697165129) and a registered Australian not-for-profit charity (ABN 72697165129). It was formally established in April 2026.
Please consider supporting The Phoebe Scholarship by becoming a donor. As a result of the specific focus of this scholarship, donations are not currently tax deductible.
The Phoebe Scholarship has an ambitious vision. Australia is a small base from which to fundraise for such a vision, and particularly from which to fundraise for theological education and the theological education of women. For these reasons, any financial contribution you can make is important and will move us closer to opening up applications for the scholarship. If this vision speaks to you, however:-
Could you become ‘one of the thirty-five’ – that is, one of thirty-five people who give $1000 a year: a small community committed to changing the church, by supporting one woman at a time?
You may make a one-off donation or set up a regular giving plan here:
You may prefer to make a one-off or recurring donation directly to our bank account: Bendigo Bank, Account Name: The Phoebe Scholarship Ltd, Account: 243578150, BSB: 633000. Please include your family name and email address in the payment details so that we can send you a receipt.
We would also be delighted to speak to you about the possibility of leaving The Phoebe Scholarship a bequest. Our ABN is 72697165129.
Supporters
If the vision of The Phoebe Scholarship speaks to you, please spread the word to your friends, your church, and on social media. Please consider inviting us to speak to your church or community group.
We plan to send donors and supporters occasional updates about our progress with fundraising and about the progress of our successful recipients.
To Apply for The Phoebe Scholarship
We are currently fundraising for the Scholarship. As soon as we know that we can offer the first three-year scholarship we will ask for applications. If you would like us to contact you when the applications open, please email us at: thephoebescholarship@gmail.com. The application form and deadline will be available here in the future.
Denise Cooper Clarke, Tracy Lauersen, and Sharon Southwell. Please use the link in the heading above to find out a more about us individually and about what brought us together to establish The Phoebe Scholarship.
Our Patrons
Rev Dr. Graham Cole, former Dean and Professor of Biblical and Systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, writes: ‘Women need to be supported to the highest degree in the pursuit of academic excellence. The love of God with all the mind. All the more so, when the fields of endeavour are theology and biblical studies’.
More Information
If you would like more information about The Phoebe Scholarship, please contact us at thephoebescholarship@gmail.com.
FAQs
Who is Phoebe?
The Phoebe Scholarship is named after the deacon Phoebe, mentioned by the New Testament book, Romans (16:1-2).
Why are the selection criteria for the scholarship so narrow?
We would love to see more women able to access such support. If the scholarship and our fundraising efforts are successful, we may be able to widen the terms of the scholarship in the future.
