Grant Details

Established in Texas in 1999, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation funds social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). The foundation's grantmaking is structured to accelerate projects already making a difference. The foundation seeks to fund proven projects in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability — catalyzing them toward greater impact in the United States, India, and South Africa. The aim is to create long-term, systemic change through enduring partnerships.

Specific areas of focus are as follows:

• Education: Millions of children from low-income backgrounds don't have the chance to attend a high-quality school. For those who do, unique challenges remain, making it harder for them to get to and through college. The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation invests in closing these opportunity gaps so all students can pursue a quality education, providing a pathway to prosperity for them and their families.
  • Quality Schools: The foundation collaborates with innovative organizations across sectors to facilitate systemic change and foster the growth of great schools.
  • Classroom Supports: The foundation empowers educators with the information, tools, and skills needed to provide a positive learning experience for students that sets them up for success.
  • College Success: The foundation provides students from low-income backgrounds with comprehensive, individualized support during their educational journey — from college preparation and completion to career placement or continued learning.
• Health: Poverty and poor health are intertwined, feeding off each other and stacking the odds against millions of children and their families. The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation team is working to break the cycle on both a community and systemic level.
  • Health and Wellness: The foundation's approach focuses on the drivers of health, such as food access and affordability. In addition, the foundation invests in quality medical care and works alongside families to improve the overall health of the community.
• Family Economic Stability: To forge a path out of urban poverty, individuals need viable jobs and market-ready skills. Even the ability to save and manage money with basic banking services can make a huge difference for a family's economic stability. Together with their partners, the foundation connects people with career and financial services programs to help them build a better future.
  • Jobs and Livelihoods: The foundation invests in scalable, sustainable programs that provide career counseling, vocational skills, and other benefits to address the global shortage of skilled workers and a high unemployment rate for youth.
  • Financial Services: The foundation helps people build more financially stable lives by supporting credit and savings organizations working with the urban poor.

In addition to grantmaking, the foundation also uses mission-related impact investing structured to support companies that can radically advance social progress. The foundation uses a range of financial tools and structures to support their work in education, health and family economic stability. This strategy focuses on developing products and tools, as well as new markets. The foundation also knows that graduating from college or university and finding meaningful employment are two achievements that can have a profound impact on a student's life and the lives of their family members. The foundation ensures that students from low-income backgrounds have the support they need to graduate from college or university through their scholarship and support programs in the United States and South Africa.