SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — At South Tahoe High School scholarship night, Tuesday, April 25, the Marcella Foundation awarded $80,000 worth of scholarships for the inaugural Fannan Fellowship and plans to do much more. 

The Marcella Foundation, a new nonprofit in South Lake Tahoe, has a mission “to think big” and make a difference in South Lake Tahoe’s education system, family unit, the arts, and economic development, according to the foundation’s website.

The foundation is named in honor of founder Sean Fannan’s grandmother, Marcella Fannan. 

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Sean grew up in Tahoe, had a passion for video games, attended college at UC Santa Barbara, as well as co-founding and selling Chartboost in 2021, which led him to give back to the future of the basin in a big way, according to Fannan’s story on the foundation’s site. 

“My hope is that the spirit of entrepreneurship, creativity, and impact comes through in every scholarship, grant, and new program that we support. May Marcella’s kindness touch the lives of many in our community,” said Fannan.

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The culmination of the Tahoe graduate’s story was what allowed Fannan to give back to the community he grew up in.

Executive Director of the nonprofit, Melissa Uppendahl, told the Tribune Fannan decided to create the nonprofit with some of the profits of Chartboost in December of the same year the app was sold. 

The Fannan Fellowship, will be an annual scholarship, and the Marcella Foundation looks forward to continuing to support creative problem solvers in the years to come, according to Uppendahl. 

“We were blown away by the quality of the applications we received for the Fannan Fellowship,” Uppendahl said. “The applicants’ creativity and drive to make a positive impact in the world were truly inspiring. We’re excited to see what these students will accomplish in the future, and we’re honored to be able to support their dreams through the Fannan Fellowship.”

Two students were awarded $20,000 scholarships — Rossi Bonev and Lachlan Bray — and were chosen for their exceptional creativity and problem-solving skills.

Eight more students were chosen and awarded $5,000 scholarships each — Forrest Jones, Erin Yamaoka, Evelyn Bennett, Chris Haven, Milo King, Kyla Schrauben, Frank Langenfeld, and Hailey Rossi. These students also showed exceptional creativity along with their academic success.

The Marcella Foundation will match any contribution up to $10,000 for next year’s scholarship fund. Donations can be made at http://www.marcellafoundation.org/give.

To honor the awardees, the Marcella Foundation put together a video showcasing the students work Fannan Fellowship 2023 – YouTube.

The Class of 2023 Fellows who received a $20,000 scholarship produced four essays and a video identifying the issues that they would work on in Tahoe if they had $1 million.