The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation's primary goal is to support and initiate programs that directly serve the needs of children living in urban poverty.
The Foundation's program areas include the following:
Urban Education
In the U.S, the Foundation seeks to grow programs that focus on enabling data-driven education and access to high-quality public schools. Initiatives include:
- quality school options, including creating more schools;
- data-driven education; and,
- Ed-Fi Alliance, which focuses on education data.
In India, the Foundation focuses on:
- data assessment and evaluation;
- school system transformation; and,
- education innovation.
In South Africa, the Foundation focuses on data-driven districts and collaboration schools, which focus on public-private partnerships.
College Success
In the U.S., the Foundation is interested in helping first-generation college students, including low-income students, navigate the university academic environment. The focus is on college preparation and completion, and on enabling innovations.
In addition, the Foundation offers the Dell Scholars Program, which is a need-based scholarship for U.S. students that recognizes academic potential in underserved and low-income students.
In South Africa, the Dell Young Leaders program levels the playing field for disadvantaged young South Africans by taking a comprehensive approach to student support to ensure graduation and employment.
Health and Wellness
In the U.S., the Foundation seeks to improve the health and wellness of all children while building demand for healthy options. Interests include childhood health and wellness.
In central Texas, the focus is on:
- forming a cutting-edge medical community;
- place-based initiatives; and,
- healthcare access.
Family Economic Stability
In India, the Foundation helps urban families establish financial stability by supporting:
- urban microfinance institutions that offer a range of financial tools, including microsavings, MSME loans, and micromortgages;
- high-quality skill training programs to help young people qualify for and get jobs; and,
- meaningful customer protection standards to measure the financial and social performance indicators of the microfinance programs.
In South Africa, the focus is on youth employment. The Foundation supports organizations that are positioned to:
- provide access to and information about work opportunities;
- educate aspiring job seekers about the work-ready behaviors required to succeed in the formal economy; and,
- provide early-employment support to ensure that aspirants stay employed long enough to build up a credible experience base.
Grants are not provided to/for:
- individuals;
- medical research projects;
- event fundraisers or sponsorships;
- lobbying of any kind; or,
- endowments
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