Michael Dell has confirmed his company fulfilled a $6.25 billion pledge to fund investment accounts for 25 million American children.
The Dell Technologies founder, 61, announced on Wednesday that the final wave of $250 deposits would clear by the end of this week, capping a giveaway launched alongside his wife after their March appearance with President Donald Trump at the White House. Susan Dell, 62, had stood beside Trump as he signed an executive order creating the accounts, and she urged families nationwide to claim the money for their kids.
“I’m very pleased to let you know today that we have funded 10 million of those accounts as of this morning,” Michael said on Wednesday. “By the end of this week we will have funded 25 million of those accounts.”
The program, backed by both the Dells and the federal government, opens investment accounts for children born between 2025 and 2028. Parents receive an initial $1,000 federal contribution, with the Dells adding $250 per child through their separate pledge. The funds are invested in the stock market, with values that can rise or fall, and children gain restricted access at age 18.
“$250 is just the beginning,” Michael added during his Wednesday remarks. “If you have a child under 18 with a social security number you should claim your account.”
Susan, who chairs the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, described an outpouring of messages from families since the contributions began landing in accounts last month. She spoke of parents, grandparents and children writing to share how the money affected them.
“Over the past month, as our contribution reached millions of children’s accounts, Michael and I have heard from so many parents and kids and grandparents with these beautiful letters that have truly moved us,” she said.
“Children have told us that they want to become entrepreneurs… Nurses, doctors, engineers. They want to build their own companies some day.”
The couple’s foundation has long focused on children’s health and education, though this direct cash transfer program marked a dramatic expansion in scale and visibility.
Susan continued: “We’ve heard from parents and grandparents who share what it means to them. To know that there is an investment in their child’s future. These things are so wonderful and so important. It’s not just the money that matters… Knowing someone believes in you and your future that matters just as much.”
The White House event that launched the initiative drew intense online attention, with viewers fixating on Susan Dell’s appearance and sparking widespread commentary across social platforms. Trump, standing with the couple in the Oval Office, had quipped about endorsing Susan for political office after she spoke about the $250 payments.
Michael, whose net worth is reported at $279.6 billion, took to X on Thursday to mark the milestone. “Promise made. Promise kept,” he wrote. “By tomorrow, 25 million American children will have our gift of $250 in their accounts.”
The tweet drew thousands of responses from parents and grandparents, some tracing their connection to Dell back decades. One user replied: “If I remember correctly I paid almost 5k in the mid to late 90s for the most sophisticated made to order Dell laptop. Never, in my wildest dreams would I have thought that purchase would turn into an investment for my grandchildren 30 years later. Thank you @POTUS thank you @MichaelDell.”
Another wrote: “Thank you and your wife (and whole family). What great role models in philanthropy and marriage. Bravo.”
A third shared: “Thank you. One of my three grands already has an account and I’m encouraging the parents of the other two to finish signing up so I can move the nest egg I have for them there.”
The federal component of the program offers the $1,000 seed money for children in the specified birth years, with parents able to make additional contributions. The accounts are structured as long-term investments, with the explicit goal of building wealth that compounds as children mature into adulthood.