A Commitment to Community
Maggie Sabbag is a Pasadena-area native: She was born at Huntington Hospital, grew up in Sierra Madre, and attended Gooden and Polytechnic schools. She met her future husband, Ken, in Santa Monica during his UCLA hand surgery fellowship, which followed his graduation from Penn Medical School and his residency at Harvard University. Maggie holds a BA in Slavic Languages and Literature/Soviet Studies from Princeton and a master’s degree in International Economic Policy from Columbia University.
Maggie has always been interested in building community, whether local or international. A desire to build bridges between the US and Soviet Union led to a career in emerging markets finance and investment. As an orthopedic hand surgeon, Ken practices at Congress Orthopedics in Pasadena. Together with their children, the couple has also found time to serve with numerous community organizations. Maggie joined the Pasadena Community Foundation Board in 2016 and currently serves as its Board Chair.
“I love that we can touch so much and so many agencies through one institution,” she says. “I have witnessed extraordinary growth in PCF’s total assets and its grantmaking programs. We have expanded our flexibility to identify and address areas of particular need in Pasadena, allowing us to develop PCF initiatives in education, housing, and food insecurity. This is a testament to impeccable leadership, a great staff, and to PCF’s ability to inspire and engage the generosity of our community – a community that has trust in PCF’s mission and our ability to serve as a force for good in Pasadena.”
Maggie and Ken created their named endowment with PCF in 2023 to provide unrestricted support for the foundation’s local grantmaking. The endowment felt like a natural next step to the Sabbags after participating for many years in PCF’s expansion and impact. “We care about Pasadena and its future. We have been inspired by the great, and extended, impact of other endowments at PCF, and we love the idea that a current gift will meet current needs and, with time, grow and help to address the needs of future generations.”
Grantmaking Impact
Through this fund, PCF has been able to
- Provide sustained funding
- Offer consistent financial support for our local grantmaking programs throughout Greater Pasadena.
- Enhance community programs
- Empower organizations to expand their services and reach more individuals in need.
- Support flexibility
- Allows PCF to direct resources when and where they are needed most, respond quickly to emerging needs, and fill funding gaps that restricted gifts can’t cover.
Contact Us
For more information about PCF giving opportunities, please contact
Pasadena Community Foundation
301 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 810
Pasadena, CA., 91101
626.796.2097
pcfstaff@pasadenacf.org
