The Phoebe Project, a registered Australian company and charity (details to follow shortly), is named after the deacon Phoebe, mentioned in Romans 16:1-2.
The vision of The Phoebe Project 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 specific aim of The Phoebe Project is to support Christian women with evangelical and egalitarian commitments to complete PhDs in Theology or Biblical Studies. One hope of The Phoebe Project 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 Project is to offer a full-time living allowance of approximately $34,315 per annum (in 2025, 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
Please consider supporting The Phoebe Project Scholarship by becoming a donor. All donations will go to the Scholarship.
You may make a one-off donation or, preferably, set up a regular giving plan. A link will be provided here shortly.
You may prefer to make a one-off donation directly to our bank account. Please contact us for the details.
We would also be delighted to speak to you about the possibility of leaving The Phoebe Project a bequest.
Supporters
If the vision of The Phoebe Project 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 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 Fund Scholarship
More information about the scholarship and how to apply will be available here in the future.
More Information
If you would like more information about The Phoebe Project, please contact us at thephoebeprojectaustralia@gmail.com.
FAQs
Why are the selection criteria for the scholarship so narrow?
We would love to see more woman 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.
Our Team
Denise Cooper Clarke – Denise is a graduate of medicine and theology with a PhD in medical ethics. She has special interests in professional ethics and the ethics of virtue. She writes for Ethos (Evangelical Alliance Centre for Christianity and Society) and co-edited (with Jill Firth) Grounded in the Body, in Time and Place, in Scripture: Papers by Australian Women Scholars in the Evangelical Tradition.
Denise writes: My motivation to set up this scholarship was the observation that women are underrepresented in academic theology and biblical studies and in theological and Bible college faculties. Women theological students can identify with the observations that ‘There are no women in my bibliographies’ and that ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’. I believe women have particular and important contributions to make to these fields while also facing particular barriers to their involvement. I want them to be encouraged and supported to participate fully in academic scholarship and teaching in these fields, so that they in turn may encourage the contribution of other women.
Sharon Southwell – Sharon works as a clinical psychologist. She also writes fiction and non-fiction. Before psychology, she studied classics, archaeology, and history, including church history. She was raised on the mission-field. Her parents were ordained ministers in The Salvation Army, a denomination where women routinely lead and preach. She is passionate about supporting women to live into their God-given capacities, including within the church. She particularly wants to see more women contributing to academic theology and biblical studies.
Our Board
More details to follow.
Image courtesy of Crisfotolux.
The Phoebe Project 