Michael Dell, CEO, on $6.25 billion donation: “It will build hope and opportunity and prosperity for generations to come”

Billionaire tech entrepreneur Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, have unveiled one of the most ambitious philanthropic efforts in recent history, committing roughly $6.25 billion to help start investment accounts for millions of American children.

The generous gift is designed to encourage families to participate in the newly established child savings programme introduced by Donald Trump’s administration which is tumbling in the opinion polls.

The initiative, informally dubbed “Trump Accounts,” (what else?) forms part of the president’s broader spending legislation for 2025. Under the scheme, the U.S. Treasury will deposit $1,000 into accounts for eligible children born between January 2025 and December 2028, funds that can grow tax-deferred until adulthood.

The Dells’ money aims to extend the benefits of this idea to an estimated 25 million children aged 10 or younger who miss out on the government’s seed money because they were born before the qualifying period. Each of those children will receive a $250 contribution funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

Funds can then be accessed from age 18 for purposes such as higher education, buying a first home, or launching a business.

The accounts are scheduled to launch on July 4, 2026, a symbolic nod to America’s 250th anniversary of independence, according to Michael Dell himself. Targeting lower-income areas, the Dells said they would prioritise contributions to children in ZIP codes with median incomes below $150,000.

The President obviously had his say, commenting that the accounts would be “the first... real trust funds for every American child, allowing family members, employers, corporations, generous donors to contribute money that will be invested and grow over the course of a child’s life to be used for their benefit after they turn 18.”

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“These accounts will track the overall stock market and will be 100% private property controlled by the child’s guardians... This will give millions of dollars, millions of children, children, middle class families, a stake in American prosperity, a benefit from the rising stock market, and a better shot at the American dream,” he concluded.

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