Michael Dell, the founder of Dell Technologies, and his wife, Susan Dell, have pledged to donate more than $6 billion to President Donald Trump’s “Trump Accounts,” a new investment program for children set to launch in 2026.
Michael, 60, and Susan announced their commitment on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Michael, who built his company by selling computers directly to consumers rather than through retailers, said their approach to this donation feels similar to how he ran his business in its early years.
“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 are part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” According to the White House, they will be available to every U.S. citizen born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, and each account “will launch with a one-time $1,000 government seed contribution.”
Contributions to each account are capped at $5,000 per year, and the White House said the funds “will be invested in a broad stock-market index.”
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Children will not gain ownership of the funds until they turn 18. At that point, the money can be withdrawn under standard IRA rules. The White House has projected that the accounts, “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 historic, noting that few charitable donations in recent years have exceeded $1 billion. By comparison, Bill Gates donated $20 billion to his foundation in 2022.
In a joint statement, Michael and Susan said their $6.25 billion contribution will “seed 25 million additional accounts with $250 each.” Their donation is aimed at children 10 and younger who live in ZIP codes with a median income of $150,000 or less and who do not qualify for the Treasury’s $1,000 seed contribution because they were born before the program’s start date.
They added that “children older than 10 may benefit, too, if funds remain available after initial sign-ups.”
The Dells told the Associated Press they believe this $6.25 billion pledge is the largest single private commitment ever made to children in the United States.
According to The New York Times, the concept of Trump Accounts traces back to a 2021 conversation between Brad Gerstner, chief executive of Altimeter Capital, and his children. Gerstner later created a nonprofit, Invest America, to push for government-funded investment accounts seeded with $1,000 for every child at birth.
After Gerstner shared the idea with Michael Dell, Michael and Susan supported it, and Michael brought the concept to Trump. Sen. Ted Cruz then introduced legislation to create Invest America accounts, which were later renamed Trump Accounts, the Times reported.
Michael Dell is worth more than $150 billion, according to Bloomberg, placing him among the world’s richest individuals. Susan told the Times that the couple has donated $3 billion over the past 26 years; the outlet noted that their Trump Accounts pledge would “vault them into the ranks of the nation’s top givers.”
At the White House on Tuesday, Trump praised the Dells’ philanthropy, calling their pledge “truly one of the most generous acts in the history of our country,” according to the Associated Press. He added that he expects multiple companies and friends to contribute to the accounts as well, saying, “I’ll be doing it, too.”
Earlier that day, Trump posted on Truth Social to share his enthusiasm for the couple, writing, “TWO GREAT PEOPLE. I LOVE DELL!!! President DJT.”
