Actually, they are not merit scholarships, they are positions in a program, SOME (or, most but not all) of which come with a scholarship. My D did not receive scholarship $ with her Comm fellowship, other than a 1-time program travel stipend. But your point is correct that those overseeing the selection process don’t care, and probably don’t know, if applicants were an ED acceptance or not. I think stats play a part in who gets an invite, but during Fellows week-end it’s all about which prospective students will fit best into the cohort and the program. My S had excellent stats, but ultimately was not a good fit for the fellows program he applied for and they sniffed that out - we were disappointed at the time, but in hindsight they absolutely made the right decision.
Even without the added scholarship $, the Comm fellow program has been a really worthwhile experience for my D, and being a Fellow has provided her with unique opportunities she would not have had otherwise.