The Marcella Foundation

The Marcella Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to improving South Lake Tahoe through innovative programs in education, kids and family, arts, and economic development. The foundation values great people and ideas that address the root causes of issues and promote resilience and transparency. Their grantmaking process is open annually and awards grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. They prioritize projects with the potential to immediately make a big difference or eventually scale to do so. The areas of interest include K-12 education, foster care, low-income families, arts education, economic development, and workplace development. The foundation establishes informal advisory groups for each area of interest to better understand the specific needs of the community and offers scholarships to South Tahoe High school students through the Fannan Fellowship. They also work directly in the community to accelerate new ideas through the Accelerator Program, with BookMode as the first program in this portfolio. The foundation aims to grow BookMode into a main function of the Foundation or transition it into its own with external funding. The Marcella Foundation believes that big ideas can come from all corners of the community and evaluates projects based on their potential and momentum. The organization is open to projects of any size and interested in programs that move the needle significantly. Their involvement in projects varies based on their size and scope. Overall, the foundation's mission is to invest in great ideas and the people behind them, ultimately making South Lake Tahoe an incredible place to live for its residents.