Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell have pledged $6.25 billion to provide savings accounts for up to 25 million American children, the White House confirmed on Tuesday.
The initiative, designed to give each child an initial deposit of $250, is being administered through Invest America, a non-profit organisation that manages tax-advantaged investment accounts for minors.
The accounts, which will start at birth, are part of a broader federal programme under President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending legislation.
Children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, will automatically receive $1,000 from the Treasury, with the accounts tracking a stock index and allowing additional private contributions of up to $5,000 annually.
The Dell family’s donation will expand eligibility to include most children aged ten and under who were born before the federal newborn contribution programme began, with some older children potentially qualifying if funds remain.
Michael Dell, chief executive of Dell Technologies, said in a video announcing the donation that the programme aimed to give children a “small financial head start” that could expand opportunities throughout their lives.
“We’ve seen what happens when a child gets even a small financial head start – their world expands,” he said.
President Trump welcomed the announcement, calling the Dells “TWO GREAT PEOPLE” on social media and praising their investment in the nation’s future.
A White House spokesperson, Kush Desai, described the accounts as a “revolutionary investment by the federal government into the next generation of American children” and framed the donation as a model for corporate philanthropy in the United States.
The details of the programme are still being finalised, but Invest America expects to open sign-ups on July 4, 2026.
Officials have said that the accounts will be managed by a child’s guardian and are intended to grow over time, giving families a long-term financial resource for education, entrepreneurship, or other life opportunities.
The Dells are no strangers to high-profile philanthropy. In 2025, they committed $50 million over ten years to establish a new Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, further cementing their focus on initiatives aimed at creating opportunities and improving lives through strategic investment.
This $6.25 billion pledge represents one of the largest single-family contributions to child-focused financial initiatives in recent American history, signalling a major public-private effort to encourage early savings and investment for the country’s youngest citizens.
