Trinity in CT is what so has in mind but the TX one which is very well regarded in that neck of the woods is also a great choice. As are Rollins and New College in FL.
I’d be very interested in the First year abroad option that FSU offers. Though not a LAC, that program looks wonderful to me. Costs about $45 k the first year, gives you FL in state prices for the rest of the time! Check it out.
Definitely check out “Colleges That Change Lives” for good reference info. My Ds college search seems to have had much of the same criteria as yours – her serious list was Earlham (IN), Wooster (OH), Dennison (OH), Ohio Wesleyan (OH), Guilford (NC) and Juniata (PA). In the end, she decided on Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. Small school from a Quaker tradition, very diverse & open-minded campus, heavy stress on writing in all of their programs, and good merit scholarships that made a huge difference for us. Best of luck with her search.
Super top-tier Liberal Arts Colleges are often high on need but not merit. (They are so hard to get into, thus everyone is an outstanding applicant and has “merit” so to speak) There are some notable exceptions. See a list here of some of the top rated LACs. Some of the folks on CC can give you a read on merit at these schools: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Ivies
The “Colleges that Change Lives” unofficial consortium, based on a book by Lawrence Pope, has lots of excellent schools that offer high merit aid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_That_Change_Lives
A few on that list I know that offer solid merit: Knox and Allegheny (where my son got excellent merit aid). Knox has a great English and creative writing department. These schools accept a broader range of applicants so kids with higher stats often get good merit packages.
Other similar schools not on that list with solid merit aid:
Mulhenberg, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, St. Lawrence
Best of luck!