Susan Dell is helping direct about $10 billion in philanthropy given by her and her husband, Michael Dell, with the couple’s latest commitments spanning children’s savings, medical research and health care.
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, which Susan co-founded and chairs, manages more than 800 projects each year across the US, Africa, India, Israel and Texas, where the couple live.
Its work focuses on education, jobs and livelihoods, and health. Susan’s interest in health care was shaped by her father, a surgical oncologist, while the foundation says she developed a passion for the issue from childhood.
Janet Mountain, the foundation’s head, said: “People matter to her. And because people matter to her, solutions matter to her.” Mountain previously worked as an executive at Dell before joining the foundation in 2003.
Susan has recently concentrated on the foundation’s livelihoods work through the Dells’ involvement in Trump Accounts. In December 2025, the couple pledged $6.25 billion to provide $250 contributions for 25 million children in the US.
The contribution is intended for children aged 10 and under who are not eligible for a separate $1,000 federal payment for children born between 2025 and 2028. The Dells’ funding will go to children living in ZIP codes with median incomes of $150,000 or less.
“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 at the White House announcement.
University of Texas philanthropy
The couple initially considered limiting the Trump Accounts contribution to Texas before choosing to make it a nationwide initiative, Michael said at the event. Their home state remains central to their charitable giving, particularly in health care.
In April, the Dells became the first donors to give more than $1 billion to the University of Texas at Austin over their lifetimes. Their latest commitments will support an advanced research campus, an artificial-intelligence medical centre, scholarships, student housing and expanded supercomputing facilities.
The university’s Dell Medical School was established in 2013 after the foundation committed $50 million, alongside a further $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 backed Dell Children’s Medical Center, which opened in 2007, and the Dell Pediatric Research Institute, supporting specialist children’s care and medical research in the region.
Susan’s work outside philanthropy has included founding three fashion labels, including the luxury brand Phi, which closed during the recession. She has also competed in marathons, triathlons and the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
She was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018 after helping families recover from Hurricane Harvey. The couple committed more than $43 million to rebuilding and recovery efforts across 41 counties.
In 2025, Susan and Michael received the History-Making Texan Award for their contributions to Texas and beyond. Despite the scale of their giving, Susan has previously said the foundation’s work was still at an early stage.
“The reality is, you know, we’re just getting started,” she said during a 2017 discussion about the future of philanthropy.
