Michael Dell ranks as the sixth-richest man in the world, with a net worth of about $232 billion. He and his wife, Susan, have given away roughly $10 billion of that fortune—and she is the one calling many of the shots on where the money goes.

At that scale, where the money goes matters: the Dells' giving now stretches from university campuses and hospitals to millions of individual children's savings accounts, putting Susan Dell's priorities behind everything from medical research to early wealth building for American families.

Susan Dell is the co-founder and chair of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, established in 1999. The organization currently manages more than 800 projects worldwide each year, with activities concentrated in the United States, Africa, India, Israel, and the couple's home state of Texas, where they live on a sprawling 33,000-square-foot estate.

The foundation's focus areas are education, jobs and livelihood, and health—causes Susan Dell has cared about deeply since childhood. Her father was a surgical oncologist and, the foundation says, "sparked her lifelong passion for health." As a girl, she would even stop strangers at the grocery store to tell them not to smoke.

"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 served as an executive at Dell before joining the foundation in 2003.

A $6.25 Billion Commitment to America's Children

Susan Dell has recently concentrated on the foundation's livelihood pillar 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 donation is designed to benefit children age 10 and under who are not eligible for the federal government's separate $1,000 contribution for children born between 5 and 2028. The Dells' 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 early.

The structure marks a departure from the Dells' more familiar institutional gifts. Rather than funding buildings or endowed programs, the pledge deposits seed money directly into 25 million children's accounts, pairing private philanthropy with the new federal savings framework.

"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 Dell said during the White House announcement in December.

The couple initially considered limiting the contribution to Texas, Michael Dell explained at the event, before deciding to expand the initiative nationwide.

How the rollout reaches eligible families across qualifying ZIP codes—and how the private contributions sit alongside the federal accounts for newborns—will be worth watching as the program moves from announcement to execution.

Deep Roots in Texas Health Care

Their home state has long been central to the Dells' philanthropy, particularly on health care. In April, the couple 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.

That milestone builds on decades of Dell investments across Central Texas. In 2013, the foundation committed $50 million to establish Dell Medical School at UT Austin, along with 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 Dell said at the time.

The foundation has also supported Dell Children's Medical Center, which opened in 2007, and the Dell Pediatric Research Institute, helping expand access to specialized children's care and medical research in the region.

The result is a tightly concentrated health footprint—a medical school, a children's hospital, and a pediatric research institute all carrying the Dell name in one region—and the newest UT Austin commitments now extend it into AI-focused medicine and supercomputing.

A Career Beyond Philanthropy

Susan Dell has also built a career of her own. A fashion entrepreneur, she founded three labels, including the 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 Dell committed more than $43 million to rebuilding and recovery across 41 counties. In 2025, the couple received the History-Making Texan Award, recognizing their contributions to the state and beyond.

Despite decades of philanthropy, Susan Dell has long viewed the foundation's work as far from finished—and her current agenda, spanning children's savings accounts to an AI-focused medical center, reflects that outlook.

"The reality is, you know, we're just getting started," she said during a 2017 discussion about the future of philanthropy.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.