The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation makes large, catalytic investments focused on education access and quality, health care innovation, and homelessness solutions — often concentrating support in Austin/Central Texas while also backing national education scale-up. They fund a mix of local institutions (UT Austin, Dell Medical School, Dell Children’s) and national intermediaries (Charter School Growth Fund), favoring repeat, multi-million dollar grants designed to launch or scale flagship initiatives like Dell Scholars, the Dell Medical School, and Community First! Village.
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is marked by a mix of very large, repeat commitments and a clear preference for scaling programs that can be carried across systems. One of its most visible patterns is the long-running support for University of Texas at Austin, including multiple annual grants for Dell Scholars and UT for Me that fund textbook credits, laptops, emergency funds, advising, and mental health supports for Pell-eligible students. Another defining strand is charter-school growth: in 2025 the foundation gave $50 million to Charter School Growth Fund to launch the Dell Catalyst Fund and drive quality charter school growth. The foundation also backs place-based work in Austin, where it has supported Mobile Loaves & Fishes to scale Community First! Village and strengthen homelessness solutions. Across these examples, the foundation combines education access, housing stability, and health-related initiatives with investments intended to expand proven models rather than one-time pilot projects.
In higher education, the foundation has repeatedly funded University of Texas at Austin for Dell Scholars and UT for Me, with grants tied to academic-year cohorts and student supports. In K–12 education, it supported Communities Foundation of Texas for “Scaling Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (PTECHs) in Texas,” showing interest in college-and-career pathways. Health-related grantmaking appears through Dell Children’s Medical Center Foundation of Central Texas, which received funding for “Best in Class Health for Central Texas Children and Families.” The foundation also backs homelessness interventions: Mobile Loaves & Fishes received multiple grants for “Scaling Community First! Village to Combat Homelessness,” indicating sustained support for that model in Austin.
The typical grant size is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $17,494 at the median, and $95,861 at the 75th percentile, which suggests a wide spread between smaller awards and very large strategic commitments. The recent-grants list shows repeat funding to the same organizations across multiple years, especially University of Texas at Austin, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and Charter School Growth Fund. The foundation is classified as a regular funder and also makes program-related investments. It funds individuals as well, and its active programs include both U.S. and global grantmaking. Unsolicited applications are accepted for Dell Aspire Scholars (India), while several other listed programs do not accept unsolicited requests.
$258.2M
$7.8B
$4.3B
$390.2M
Most grants fall between $5K and $96K, with a median of $17K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$17K
75th Percentile
$96K
Top 10 recipient countries by grant volume for Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 4,101 | $698.7M | 85.2% |
| 2 | India |
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Concentrated, high-value grants with repeat funding to a small set of strategic grantees; mixes local institutional investments in Austin/Central Texas with select national partners to scale proven models.
Notable grantees: Charter School Growth Fund, Mobile Loaves & Fishes (Community First! Village), University of Texas at Austin (Dell Scholars / UT programs), Dell Medical School / University of Texas - Austin, Dell Children's Medical Center Foundation of Central Texas
Grantmaking is national, but Texas stands out as the top state by grant count, with 28% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Austin appears frequently in the recent grants list, including University of Texas at Austin, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and Dell Children’s Medical Center Foundation of Central Texas. Outside the U.S., the recent grants include Johannesburg, Zurich, New York, Boone, and Los Angeles recipient locations, along with country-level activity in India, the United Kingdom, Senegal, Kenya, Israel, Jersey, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The listed focus areas center on K–12 school quality, university access and completion, health innovation, financial inclusion, jobs and livelihoods, and homelessness solutions. The recent grants reinforce those themes through education partnerships in Texas, health support for Central Texas children and families, and homelessness funding in Austin.
Yes. The recent grants include Austin-based organizations such as University of Texas at Austin, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and Dell Children’s Medical Center Foundation of Central Texas, alongside national or multi-state intermediaries like Charter School Growth Fund and Communities Foundation of Texas. The foundation’s geographic scope is listed as national.
The grant-size distribution is broad: the 25th percentile is $5,000, the median is $17,494, and the 75th percentile is $95,861. Recent grants also include very large awards such as $50 million to Charter School Growth Fund and multiple multi-million-dollar grants to Texas-based partners.
Repeat funding is a visible pattern. University of Texas at Austin appears in multiple consecutive years for UT for Me and Dell Scholars cohorts, Mobile Loaves & Fishes received several grants for Community First! Village across 2023–2025, and Charter School Growth Fund received funding in both 2023 and 2025.
Yes, one listed active program, Dell Aspire Scholars (India), accepts unsolicited applications. Several other active programs are listed as not accepting unsolicited requests, including Classroom Supports, Greater Austin Pathways to Prosperity, Health Innovation, Jobs & Livelihoods, University Success, Financial Services, and Quality Schools.
Michael S Dell
President/Director
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 356 |
| $313.8M |
7.4% |
| 3 | South Africa | 322 | $85.3M | 6.7% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 12 | $8.3M | 0.3% |
| 5 | Singapore | 7 | $13M | 0.1% |
| 6 | Mauritius | 3 | $10.7M | 0.1% |
| 7 | Switzerland | 3 | $3.6M | 0.1% |
| 8 | Israel | 3 | $1.6M | 0.1% |
| 9 | Kenya | 3 | $143K | 0.1% |
| 10 | JE(JE) | 2 | $6M | 0.0% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter School Growth Fund | Denver, CO | $50,000,000 | 2025 | Launching the Dell Catalyst Fund to Drive Quality Charter School Growth |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $8,492,618 | 2025 | UT For Me Powered by Dell Scholars: 2024-2025 Academic Year |
| Mobile Loaves & Fishes Inc | Austin, TX | $7,586,321 | 2025 | Scaling Community First! Village to Combat Homelessness |
| United Jewish Appeal | New York, NY | $2,500,000 | 2025 | Launching a Hub to Transform the Lives of Jewish New Yorkers |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $2,106,020 | 2025 | Dell Scholars at UT Austin: 2023-2024 Cohort |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $2,085,748 | 2025 | Dell Scholars at UT Austin: 2022-2023 Cohort |
| Charter School Growth Fund | Denver, CO | $2,000,000 | 2025 | Accelerating Quality Schools Growth in Texas |
| Communities Foundation of Texas | Dallas, TX | $1,774,968 | 2025 | Scaling Education to College and Career Pathways in Texas |
| New Leaders Foundation | Johannesburg | $1,551,429 | 2025 | DDD 2023/24 Implementation |
| Region 4 Education Service Center | Houston, TX | $1,521,000 | 2025 | Accelerating Adoption of Texas Education Exchange |
| America's Frontier Fund | Arlington, VA | $1,500,000 | 2025 | Building Pathways to Opportunity in Critical-Tech Sectors |
| Teach For India | Mumbai | $1,322,451 | 2025 | Improving Holistic Outcomes for Students From Low-Income Communities |
| New Schools Venture Fund | Oakland, CA | $1,250,000 | 2025 | Scaling Career Connected School Models |
| Education Analytics | Madison, WI | $1,215,000 | 2025 | Ed-Fi Expansion into Local California Education Agencies |
| The British Asian Trust | London | $1,104,167 | 2025 | Skill Impact Bond - Skilling low-income youth for aspirational jobs |
| Apex Education Group | Cape Town | $1,053,708 | 2025 | Apex Blended Learning Schools (2023-2025) |
| Texas 2036 | Dallas, TX | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Supporting Texas 2036 for Economic Mobility and Health Outcomes for Texans |
| American Friends of Ogen | University Heights, OH | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Generating a Revolving Zero-Interest Fund For Reservists |
| Texas Region 20 San Antonio | San Antonio, TX | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Supporting Texas Education Exchange Adoption through ASCENDER |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $983,310 | 2025 | Dell Scholars at UT Austin: 2021-2022 Cohort |
| Springboard Collaborative | Philadelphia, PA | $950,000 | 2025 | Scaling Literacy Tutoring Technology and Tools |
| Sheba | Ramat Gan | $900,000 | 2025 | Transforming Israels Pediatric Mental Health System to Address Trauma Nationwide |
| NPower Inc | Brooklyn, NY | $900,000 | 2025 | Scaling an Innovative Tech Training Program That Leads to a Quality Job |
| The Fistula Foundation | San Jose, CA | $900,000 | 2025 | Providing Life-Transforming Surgeries for Fistula and Severe Perineal Tears in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $892,751 | 2025 | Building a New Model of Postpartum Care for Texas |
| Magic Bus | Mumbai | $841,051 | 2025 | Support for Expanding Blended Employability Training Model for Life Skills |
| Click Foundation | Johannesburg | $830,510 | 2025 | Acceleration of personalized, early grade literacy program |
| Avanti Fellows | New Delhi | $806,588 | 2025 | College Entrance Test Preparation Coaching |
| Connxus | Austin, TX | $779,600 | 2025 | Actioning the Central Texas Health Information Exchange |
| United Way for Greater Austin | Austin, TX | $767,781 | 2025 | Building a Community Reporting Framework for Social Services |
| Foundation Communities Inc | Austin, TX | $756,000 | 2025 | Advancing Families' Self-Sufficiency With Education, Health, and Financial Services |
| Cambiar Education | Minneapolis, MN | $750,000 | 2025 | Accelerating Literacy Gains with Cost-Effective Tutoring |
| The British Asian Trust | London | $731,245 | 2025 | Improving Outcomes for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy through an Ed-Tech Accelerator |
| Yemin Orde Youth Village | Yemin Orde | $713,416 | 2025 | Elevating Education and Teens Integration |
| Lighthouse Communities Foundation | Pune | $711,239 | 2025 | Employability Training and Linkages in a Demand-Led Model for Pune City |
| TNTP Inc | New York, NY | $679,618 | 2025 | Developing Leaders of Color to Create Resilient and Responsive Schools |
| Coursemojo Inc | Washington, DC | $659,600 | 2025 | Expanding High-Quality CTE Pathways |
| ClassLink | Clifton, NJ | $650,000 | 2025 | Expansion of OneData to Address Assessment and Chronic Absenteeism |
| Education Analytics | Madison, WI | $650,000 | 2025 | Connecting Multi-State Federal Data Standards through Ed-Fi Collaboration |
| The Community Chest of the Western Cape | Cape Town | $622,598 | 2025 | Supporting the Expansion of the YearBeyond Youth Service Program |
| Contigo Ed Inc | Houston, TX | $620,004 | 2025 | Innovative Counseling and Solutions for Post-Secondary Success |
| Dream a Dream | Bangalore | $602,112 | 2025 | Supporting Adolescents in Government Schools with Social Emotional and Life Skills |
| Bottom Line | Boston, MA | $600,000 | 2025 | Achieving Exponential Growth While Maintaining High-Quality Outcomes |
| Communities in Schools - Central Texas | Austin, TX | $600,000 | 2025 | Expanding Student Success Across the Region from K-12 through Post-Secondary |
| SAFE Alliance | Austin, TX | $600,000 | 2025 | Strengthening Programs and Services for a Safer Austin Community |
| Cal Poly Pomona Philanthropic Foundation | Pomona, CA | $600,000 | 2025 | Community Partnership for Student Success |
| Indus Action | New Delhi | $598,688 | 2025 | Strengthening Delivery of High-Impact Social Benefits to Low-Income Communities |
| The British Asian Trust | London | $591,605 | 2025 | Support Foundational Literacy and Numeracy levels for primary grade students through a performance linked structure |
| iMentor | New York, NY | $591,379 | 2025 | Improving Post-Secondary Outcomes Through Targeted Mentoring |
| Click Foundation | Johannesburg | $561,243 | 2025 | Identifying the Most Effective Edtech Products for Improving Literacy and Numeracy |
Charter School Growth Fund
$50,000,000Launching the Dell Catalyst Fund to Drive Quality Charter School Growth
University of Texas at Austin
$8,492,618UT For Me Powered by Dell Scholars: 2024-2025 Academic Year
Mobile Loaves & Fishes Inc
$7,586,321Scaling Community First! Village to Combat Homelessness
United Jewish Appeal
$2,500,000Launching a Hub to Transform the Lives of Jewish New Yorkers
University of Texas at Austin
$2,106,020Dell Scholars at UT Austin: 2023-2024 Cohort
University of Texas at Austin
$2,085,748Dell Scholars at UT Austin: 2022-2023 Cohort
Charter School Growth Fund
$2,000,000Accelerating Quality Schools Growth in Texas
Communities Foundation of Texas
$1,774,968Scaling Education to College and Career Pathways in Texas
New Leaders Foundation
$1,551,429DDD 2023/24 Implementation
Region 4 Education Service Center
$1,521,000Accelerating Adoption of Texas Education Exchange
America's Frontier Fund
$1,500,000Building Pathways to Opportunity in Critical-Tech Sectors
Teach For India
$1,322,451Improving Holistic Outcomes for Students From Low-Income Communities
New Schools Venture Fund
$1,250,000Scaling Career Connected School Models
Education Analytics
$1,215,000Ed-Fi Expansion into Local California Education Agencies
The British Asian Trust
$1,104,167Skill Impact Bond - Skilling low-income youth for aspirational jobs
Apex Education Group
$1,053,708Apex Blended Learning Schools (2023-2025)
Texas 2036
$1,000,000Supporting Texas 2036 for Economic Mobility and Health Outcomes for Texans
American Friends of Ogen
$1,000,000Generating a Revolving Zero-Interest Fund For Reservists
Texas Region 20 San Antonio
$1,000,000Supporting Texas Education Exchange Adoption through ASCENDER
University of Texas at Austin
$983,310Dell Scholars at UT Austin: 2021-2022 Cohort
Springboard Collaborative
$950,000Scaling Literacy Tutoring Technology and Tools
Sheba
$900,000Transforming Israels Pediatric Mental Health System to Address Trauma Nationwide
NPower Inc
$900,000Scaling an Innovative Tech Training Program That Leads to a Quality Job
The Fistula Foundation
$900,000Providing Life-Transforming Surgeries for Fistula and Severe Perineal Tears in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda
University of Texas at Austin
$892,751Building a New Model of Postpartum Care for Texas
Magic Bus
$841,051Support for Expanding Blended Employability Training Model for Life Skills
Click Foundation
$830,510Acceleration of personalized, early grade literacy program
Avanti Fellows
$806,588College Entrance Test Preparation Coaching
Connxus
$779,600Actioning the Central Texas Health Information Exchange
United Way for Greater Austin
$767,781Building a Community Reporting Framework for Social Services
Foundation Communities Inc
$756,000Advancing Families' Self-Sufficiency With Education, Health, and Financial Services
Cambiar Education
$750,000Accelerating Literacy Gains with Cost-Effective Tutoring
The British Asian Trust
$731,245Improving Outcomes for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy through an Ed-Tech Accelerator
Yemin Orde Youth Village
$713,416Elevating Education and Teens Integration
Lighthouse Communities Foundation
$711,239Employability Training and Linkages in a Demand-Led Model for Pune City
TNTP Inc
$679,618Developing Leaders of Color to Create Resilient and Responsive Schools
Coursemojo Inc
$659,600Expanding High-Quality CTE Pathways
ClassLink
$650,000Expansion of OneData to Address Assessment and Chronic Absenteeism
Education Analytics
$650,000Connecting Multi-State Federal Data Standards through Ed-Fi Collaboration
The Community Chest of the Western Cape
$622,598Supporting the Expansion of the YearBeyond Youth Service Program
Contigo Ed Inc
$620,004Innovative Counseling and Solutions for Post-Secondary Success
Dream a Dream
$602,112Supporting Adolescents in Government Schools with Social Emotional and Life Skills
Bottom Line
$600,000Achieving Exponential Growth While Maintaining High-Quality Outcomes
Communities in Schools - Central Texas
$600,000Expanding Student Success Across the Region from K-12 through Post-Secondary
SAFE Alliance
$600,000Strengthening Programs and Services for a Safer Austin Community
Cal Poly Pomona Philanthropic Foundation
$600,000Community Partnership for Student Success
Indus Action
$598,688Strengthening Delivery of High-Impact Social Benefits to Low-Income Communities
The British Asian Trust
$591,605Support Foundational Literacy and Numeracy levels for primary grade students through a performance linked structure
iMentor
$591,379Improving Post-Secondary Outcomes Through Targeted Mentoring
Click Foundation
$561,243Identifying the Most Effective Edtech Products for Improving Literacy and Numeracy
Current and upcoming funding from Michael & Susan Dell Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Supports programs and organizations that strengthen community resilience and opportunity for families.
Deadline: No published deadline; online funding request process.
Who can apply: Supports social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in education, health, and family economic stability. Does not fund individuals, medical research projects, event fundraisers or sponsorships, lobbying, endowments, infrastructure, or requests for computers or related hardware.
Who can apply: Supports organizations and programs within the foundation’s key focus areas and programmatic priorities. Typically funds social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in education, health, and family economic stability. Does not fund individuals, medical research projects, event fundraisers or sponsorships, lobbying, endowments, infrastructure, or requests for computers/technology equipment.
Deadline: Rolling; no specific deadline published in the scraped content.
Who can apply: Supports accessible, impactful programs that prepare people for in-demand careers and economic mobility.
Deadline: No published deadline; online funding request process.
Who can apply: Organizations must align with the foundation’s focus on improving classroom quality and student outcomes.
Deadline: No published deadline; online funding request process.
Who can apply: Supports organizations working to expand access to financial services and improve family economic stability.
Deadline: No published deadline; online funding request process.
Who can apply: Supports organizations and partnerships advancing innovative, measurable health outcomes for families and communities.
Deadline: No published deadline; online funding request process.
Who can apply: Supports organizations and partnerships that help students persist in higher education and earn degrees.
Deadline: No published deadline; online funding request process.
Track these deadlines, get reminders, and see how well your nonprofit fits — free with a Kindora account.
Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.