Michael Dell is the sixth richest man in the world with a net worth of around $232 billion. He and his wife, Susan, have distributed about $10 billion of that fortune — and she largely decides where that money goes.
She is co-founder and president of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, established in 1999. The organization currently manages more than 800 projects around the world each year, including in the United States, Africa, India, Israel and their home state of Texas, where they live on a sprawling 33,000 square foot estate.
The organization’s focus areas are education, employment, livelihoods and health, causes that have been deeply close to its heart since childhood. His father was a surgical oncologist and “ignited his lifelong passion for health,” explains the foundation. When she was little, she even stopped strangers at the grocery store to tell them not to smoke.
“People matter to her,” Janet Mountain, director of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, said in a statement. “And because people matter to her, solutions matter to her.” Mountain also served as an executive at Dell before joining the foundation in 2003.
Recently, Susan has focused largely on the livelihood pillar of the foundation through the Dells’ commitment to the Trump accounts. In December 2025, the couple committed $6.25 billion to provide $250 in contributions to 25 million American children.
The donation is intended for children ages 10 and younger who are not eligible for the federal government’s separate $1,000 contribution for children born between 2025 and 2028. The Dell money will go to children in ZIP codes with median incomes of $150,000 or less, giving millions of families a chance to start building wealth sooner.
“We believe that when children have a future that they believe is worth saving for, it will help create hope, opportunity and prosperity for generations to come,” Susan said during the White House announcement in December.
From Texas to Beyond
The couple first considered limiting their contribution to Texas, Michael explained at the event, before deciding to expand the initiative nationally. But their home state has long played a central role in the Dells’ philanthropy, particularly in health care.
In April, the Dells became the first donors to surpass $1 billion in lifetime gifts 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.
This milestone builds on decades of Dell investments in healthcare in Central Texas. In 2013, the foundation committed $50 million to create the Dell Medical School at UT Austin, as well as an additional $10 million for local health care initiatives.
“A medical school at UT Austin makes Central Texas a center of excellence for family health and research,” Susan said at the time.
The foundation also supported the Dell Children’s Medical Center, opened in 2007, and the Dell Pediatric Research Institute, helping to expand access to specialized children’s care and medical research in the region.
Beyond her philanthropic work, Susan had a career of her own. A fashion entrepreneur, she founded three brands, including luxury brand Phi (which closed during the recession). She is also an endurance athlete who has competed in marathons, triathlons and the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
In 2018, she was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame for helping families recover from Hurricane Harvey. She and Michael have committed more than $43 million to rebuilding and recovery in 41 counties. In 2025, she and Michael also received the Historic Texas Award, recognizing their contributions to the state and beyond.
And despite decades of philanthropy, Susan has long considered the foundation’s work to be far from done.
“The reality is, you know, we’re just getting started,” she said during a 2017 discussion about the future of philanthropy.
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