Michael and Susan Dell They returned to the center of the philanthropic scene with an announcement on an unprecedented scale: they would privatize $6.25 billion to deposit $250 in investment accounts in the names of 25 million children in the United States. The initiative seeks to expand the scope of so-called “Trump Accounts,” a savings and investment plan for children that has not yet determined part of its operational architecture, but which has already become a platform for channeling massive private contributions.
Behind the starters there is a duo with well-defined roles. He is the entrepreneur who changed the personal computer business with a direct-to-consumer model. She is the leader of the charity’s Family Strategy, which since the late 1990s has promoted an agenda focused on opportunities for children and families.
Michael Dell was born in Houston, Texas, in 1965. He is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Dell Technologies. His character became associated with an idea that was disruptive in the 1980s: Selling computers directly to customers, without relying on the traditional retail channel. This “direct model” was key to the company’s early growth and became part of Dell’s overall narrative as an entrepreneur.
Over the years, in addition to leading the technology company, he consolidated a family asset management structure through a family office with a diversified investment capacity. This quieter aspect is accompanied by the growth of its economic influence outside the hardware trade.
Susan Dell is the co-founder and board chair of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, created in 1999. In the organization’s corporate narrative, the foundation aims to “accelerate opportunity” and build “life-changing” pathways for children and families, with work continuing over more than two decades. Susan’s public profile is tied to that leadership: setting priorities, directing resources, and maintaining a long-term donation system.
Although the couple has kept a low profile for years compared to other big names in American philanthropy, the scale of their contributions has made them among the country’s most important donors, with a particular focus on children’s-related initiatives.
The announcement of billions for individual accounts sums up an idea that runs through Michael Dell’s entrepreneurial journey and which the couple is now carrying over to their philanthropy: reaching the recipient “directly.” The logic is simple: plant money in accounts in the names of millions of children, with standardized mechanisms, and prompt other actors to imitate the gesture.
“When I founded the company 41 years ago, we created the direct model. This is kind of a direct philanthropy model,” the Dell founder said during the announcement.
The ad is linked to investment accounts known as “Trump accounts.” The federal government will provide $1,000 for children born between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028. The Dales’ contribution expands outreach to children as young as 10, though with one condition: They must live in a ZIP code where the median household income is less than $150,000.
The calculations are expected to be implemented next summer, but details are still to be determined. There is still no registration system and it is not clear where the accounts will be placed. Michael Dell noted that it continuesn “Work out the details” of how the money will be transferred to each child The Treasury Department will facilitate the process of identifying accounts that meet the criteria set by the couple. He added: “Then we will transfer the money, and the Treasury Department will immediately transfer it to the accounts of these children.”
The project that led to these calculations began, according to the article, in 2021, with a conversation at the family table of Brad Gerstner, CEO of Altimeter Capital. He created a nonprofit called Invest America to push the idea of giving the government $1,000 per child at birth, and called his friend Michael Dell soon after. The Dales were enthusiastic about the proposal.