Michael Dell, the founder of Dell Technologies, and his wife Susan Dell have pledged to donate over $6 billion to President Donald Trump’s “Trump Accounts,” investment accounts for children that will launch in 2026.
Michael, 60, and Susan made the announcement on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Michael, who began his business by selling computers to consumers instead of retailers, said the Trump Account donation mirrors how he ran his company in its early days.
“When I started a company 41 years ago, we created the direct model,” he said, according to The New York Times. “This is sort of the direct model philanthropy.”
Trump Accounts were introduced as part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” They will be available to every U.S. citizen born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, according to the White House, which said that each account “will launch with a one-time $1,000 government seed contribution.”
Contributions to the accounts max out at $5,000 per year, and the White House said funds from the accounts “will be invested in a broad stock-market index.”
The account recipients will not have ownership of the funds until they turn 18, at which point the funds can be withdrawn with standard IRA rules; the White House claimed that “if fully funded and left untouched, could grow to as much as $1.9 million by age 28.”
The Associated Press reported that the Dells’ gift is a historic one, as few charitable contributions in recent history have exceeded $1 billion. Bill Gates donated $20 billion to his namesake foundation in 2022.
Michael and Susan said in a statement that their $6.25 billion contribution will “seed 25 million additional accounts with $250 each.” Their money will go to children 10 and younger who live in zip codes with a median income of $150,000 or less, and who do not quality for the treasury’s $1,000 seed contribution because they were born prior to start date.
The Dells noted, “Children older than 10 may benefit, too, if funds remain available after initial sign-ups.”
The Dells told AP they believe their $6.25 billion donation is the largest individual private commitment made to children in the U.S.
According to the Times, Trump Accounts were born out of a 2021 discussion between Brad Gerstner, the chief executive of Altimeter Capital, and his children. Gerstner created a nonprofit called Invest America to advocate for the creation of accounts funded by $1,000 federal government contributions for each child upon birth.
When he contacted Michael about the idea, he and Susan were on board. Michael got Trump involved, and Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a bill to form Invest America accounts, with the name later changed to Trump Accounts, according to the
Times.
Michael is worth over $150 billion, according to Bloomberg, making him the 10th richest person in the world. Susan told the Times that she and Michael have given $3 billion over the past 26 years; the outlet noted that their Trump Accounts gift would “vault them into the ranks of the nation’s top givers.”
The president praised Michael and Susan’s contributions at the White House on Tuesday, AP reported. Trump said their donation was “truly one of the most generous acts in the history of our country,” and said he knew multiple companies and friends who would contribute to the accounts, as well. He added, “I’ll be doing it, too.”
On Tuesday morning, the president expressed his enthusiasm for the Dells on Truth Social, writing, “TWO GREAT PEOPLE. I LOVE DELL!!! President DJT.”
