Susan Dell One Running $10B Philanthropy Operation
Susan Dell directs much of the giving by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, which manages more than 800 projects worldwide each year. The couple has given…
Susan Dell one running much of the couple’s philanthropy, shaping where the money goes through the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The organization manages more than 800 projects worldwide each year, while the Dells have given away about $10 billion of their fortune.
The work reaches from education and health to jobs and livelihood, with a major commitment now directed at children’s savings in the United States. The scale of the operation puts Susan at the center of decisions about how a billionaire couple’s wealth is distributed.
Michael Dell is the world’s sixth-richest man, with a net worth of about $232 billion, according to Fortune. Susan co-founded the foundation in 1999 and serves as its chair.
She calls many of the shots. The foundation says it works particularly in the U.S., Africa, India, Israel and Texas, where the couple live.
Susan Dell’s priorities and the children’s pledge
The foundation focuses on education, jobs and livelihood, and health. Susan’s interest in health began in childhood, Fortune reported, noting that her father was a surgical oncologist. The foundation said he “sparked her lifelong passion for health.”
“People matter to her,” Janet Mountain, head of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, said in a statement. “And because people matter to her, solutions matter to her.” Mountain previously worked as an executive at Dell and joined the foundation in 2003.
Susan has recently concentrated on the foundation’s livelihood work through the Dells’ commitment to Trump Accounts. In December 2025, the couple pledged $6.25 billion to provide $250 contributions to 25 million U.S. children.
The contribution is intended for children age 10 and under who are not eligible for a separate $1,000 federal contribution available to children born between 2025 and 2028. The Dells’ money is designated for children in ZIP codes with median incomes of $150,000 or less.
That eligibility rule ties the pledge to household location and local income levels. For families who qualify, the contribution is intended to give children an early start on building wealth, rather than being a general payment to every child in the country.
“We believe that when children have a future that they can see is worth saving for, then that will help build hope and opportunity and prosperity for generations to come,” Susan said during the White House announcement in December.
The couple first considered limiting the contribution to Texas, Michael said at the event, before choosing a nationwide initiative. Their home state, however, remains a central focus of the foundation’s health work.
Texas health care and research commitments
In April, the Dells became the first donors to surpass $1 billion in lifetime giving to the University of Texas at Austin. Their latest commitments will support a new advanced research campus, an AI-focused medical center, scholarships, student housing and expanded supercomputing capabilities.
The university contributions build on earlier health investments across Central Texas. In 2013, the foundation committed $50 million to establish Dell Medical School at UT Austin, as well as another $10 million for local health care initiatives.
“A medical school at UT Austin further establishes Central Texas as a center of excellence for family health and research,” Susan said at the time.
The foundation has also supported Dell Children’s Medical Center, which opened in 2007, and the Dell Pediatric Research Institute. Fortune reported that the support helped expand access to specialized children’s care and medical research in the region.
Susan’s work extends beyond the foundation. She founded three fashion labels, including the luxury brand Phi, which closed during the recession, and has competed in marathons, triathlons and the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
She was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018 for helping families recover from Hurricane Harvey. She and Michael committed more than $43 million to rebuilding and recovery across 41 counties. In 2025, the couple received the History-Making Texan Award for their contributions to Texas and beyond.
The foundation’s work, Susan said during a 2017 discussion about philanthropy, was far from finished: “The reality is, you know, we’re just getting started.”
Source: fortune.com
