Auburn will never beat Alabama in merit money - but it’s Auburn and that’s worth a whole lot more! 
My daughter with 30 ACT, good but not outstanding EC’s and great grades and ranking got $12k merit from UDel, so I think your daughter would have a great chance to get something as well. And I second the notion that she will have a good shot at merit money for PITT. They are very clear about their minimums for merit so you should be able to get clarity on that asap. My other daughter is at American and loves it, but they aren’t a typical rah rah spirited school (no football team) so if that is important to her I’d reconsider American.
Some things to consider:
Does your daughter have high scores on AP exams and SAT Subject tests? If not, delete Georgetown/ Cornell.
Villanova’s significant merit award is the Presidential – there are very few given and without a high class rank and outstanding EC’s - very very unlikely.
As recommended by others - you should concentrate on the what schools will get her the merit award you need. I understand your family experience entering into the 8 hr rule but realistically - the vast majority of college do not experience that type of emergency. If that is truly your criteria – would be more logical to have her be near a major city where she could get an immediate flight home to the Philadelphia area rather than a 16 hr roundtrip drive.
@novicemom23kids I got into a couple of top 40 schools with an 1860 SAT, 3.7 GPA, and some volunteering hours. If she aces the essay and really delves into her personality, then she can get into some very good schools. In my opinion, EC’s don’t matter unless you can really personify them in the essay. You can make very dull EC’s look fantastic and show how it helped you grow as a person. Don’t forget that teacher recommendations can make a difference. If she has a good relationship with her teachers, tell her to ask them for recs. You are really discounting your daughter at these schools that a lot of people can get into. The essays will make the biggest difference.
I suggest checking out Elon University in NC-- between Greensboro and the Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh area. My daughter was VERY similarly situated–GPA not quite as high but great SAT scores, very decent GPA and no earth shattering ECs or much of anything that would make her stand out from the crown in a big way.
Elon is about 5000 students, a stunning campus, D1 sports, and they seem to be putting a good bit of money and energy into raising the profile f the school. Their Theater Dept is quite good (I believe) and the sticker price starts out a good bit lower than most private schools. Much to our delight our daughter was automatically awarded the Presidential scholarship of $6K and later (another pleasant surprise) got a fellowship of 5.5K, making the whole cost not much more than our instate options.
@novicemom23kids our daughters sound similar, but my daughters scores are not quite as high. We really loved Bama and are going to South Carolina in 2 weeks for a second look. Good Luck!
Great thread! Love all the advice. Taking lots of notes here!