Mark and Elisia Saab created and ran a medical device company for 27 years. As the couple found success through their business, they aimed to share it through philanthropic efforts. Upon selling the company in July of 2010, Mark and Elisia decided to create a platform that would allow them to give back to their community in previously unimaginable ways; a platform that would allow them to reach more people, places and causes. Later that year, the Saab Family Foundation was established.

Initially the Foundation supported students and nonprofits across the United States. In 2013 Trustees voted to keep award dollars closer to home and established the current catchment area. As a result, the impact of the Saab Family Foundation can be felt by individuals, families, and organizations in the Merrimack Valley and beyond.

Mark and Elisia again invested in the Foundation in 2018. Not only did the Foundation's endowment increase by more than 400% but so did our ability to support more deserving students and organizations. In 2019 more than seventy nonprofits were awarded grants and in 2020 eighty-eight students awarded scholarships. The Saab Family Foundation responded to the COVID-19 crisis by augmenting grantmaking in 2020 with an additional COVID-19 Relief Cycle.