Who is Eligible?

1. Marion County woman, 18 years of age or older.

2. Applicant must be a: 1) Small business owner or 2) Program leader/executive director of a 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving Marion County.

3. Applicant has obtained a minimum education level of a high school diploma or GED equivalent.

Application Deadline: October 31 each year. Late applications will not be accepted.

Ida was an active and early member of the Federation and in 1945 bequeathed her home to the Marion Federation of Women's Clubs so that the women would have a dedicated place to meet and for Club activities.​

A fund has been established at the Marion Community Foundation to support in perpetuity thus award. The award will be given annually to a local woman entrepreneur or leader of a non-profit organization to support initiatives that reflect the Club’s mission of “enriching the lives of women and the community.”​

The hope is that the women of our community are empowered to dream, create and transform our community as women of the Marion County Women’s Club & Home has been doing for over 126 years.​

The award is announced annually in December.

Learn more about Ida Barlow

Born October 3, 1861, in Hancock County, Ida was one of seven children born to George and Catherine Harsh. She grew up in Fostoria, Ohio, and had a true love of music and art, going on to study art at Oberlin College. 

Ida was a philanthropist, and a member of First Presbyterian Church in Marion, Ohio where she was involved in Sunday School and mission work. She was deeply religious and interested in the affairs of the church.

Along with her husband, Shauck, whom she married in 1887, she worked to create a more civically minded community for the safety and preservation of their community. 

Ida was a member of the Woman's Club, one of the oldest literary clubs in Marion, and was a mother of one child who died at birth.

Ida died on March 29, 1945 from a brain hemorrhage after being ill for many years. Upon her death, Ida bequeathed her home to the Marion Women's Club as its "forever" home.