Help me find schools/programs where I'm likely to earn huge amounts of merit? +Creative ways to pay?

What kind of school are you looking for? If Tufts and University of Richmond are two of your top choices, and you are looking at UNC Charlotte, it sounds like you would prefer a school in a more urban environment? But with William and Mary and VTech being the two state schools that you like it seems like they are quite different in location and educational environment. What do you like about those schools? What don’t you like as much about UVA and JMU?

I agree that looking at VCU and GMU might be good options. Possibly also Christopher Newport and Old Dominion. All are in more urban/ or suburban environments, and may offer you merit for your stats. If it is possible to visit the VA schools you have not yet been able to, that might help you find a wider range of instate schools that you might like to attend and that could be more affordable.

You may also want to look at University of Alabama. Your current stats would qualify you as a UA Scholar, and if you are able to raise your scores you would qualify as a Presidential Scholar – http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.html

If you do raise your ACT score/ SAT significantly, you might qualify to be considered for competitive merit scholarships at Pitt – https://oafa.pitt.edu/financialaid/academic-scholarships/

Temple guaranteed scholarships may be up in the air because of over commitment this year, but in the past you would have qualified for an automatic scholarship with a slightly higher ACT score.

I know that you don;t like JMU, but with your community service, you might be a candidate for the Dingeldine Scholarship – https://www.jmu.edu/admissions/apply/scholarships-ding.shtml