Explore a Partnership

Partnerships That Drive Impact

We build pathways that change lives through long-term partnerships with organizations delivering measurable results. The teams leading our work in each focus area and geography identify high-impact programs and come alongside them to scale what’s working.

Most of our partnerships develop through direct relationships, with our teams identifying and connecting with aligned organizations in our focus areas. We’re also genuinely open to organizations we haven’t yet met. If your work aligns with our focus areas and shows real results, we’d welcome the chance to learn more. Below, we share where we invest, what we look for, and why. We encourage you to read through carefully before submitting the form at the bottom.

How We Invest

1

Focus

We look for where the gap between potential and opportunity is greatest — places where the right investment, at the right time, can unlock real change.

2

Connect

We reach out to organizations working to fill those gaps, talking directly about what's possible — their vision, their momentum, and how we might move further together.

3

Collaborate

We engage deeply with our partners, bringing resources and hands-on support to the table. It's more than funding. It's a shared commitment to making projects succeed.

4

Scale

We provide the strategic support, connections, and capital to help proven solutions grow and sustain that growth long after our investment ends.

Where We See Opportunity

The areas below highlight our current partnership priorities, reflecting our belief that education, health, and economic stability are the levers that open pathways to opportunity.

United States

In the United States, capital and competition can unlock change at scale, if you direct them at the right problems. We invest in the people, programs, and systems that give children and families real opportunity, from classroom to career. Texas is home and where we invest most deeply.

  • Quality Education

    Evidence-based school models, learning technology with proven results, and interventions that move the needle on reading, math, and graduation outcomes.

  • University Success

    Student supports that keep people on track to graduate, and programs built with employers so a degree leads directly to a job.

  • Jobs & Livelihoods

    Skills training, internships, and career preparation that helps people secure quality jobs.

  • Health

    Care coordination, community-based care, and payment models that improve outcomes and expand access to quality care.

  • Jewish Community

    Culturally grounded social services and identity-building experiences that help young people build lasting connection and belonging.

  • Greater Austin

    Supports for family stability, education-to-employment pathways, civic engagement, and data tools that help partners reach more people with what works.

  • Strong Communities

    Civic opportunities, service initiatives, and trusted local partnerships that help young people and communities shape and strengthen the places they live.

India

In India, we believe some of the most promising opportunities emerge where no proven model yet exists. We invest in new approaches that expand access to quality education, connect skills to employment, and enable entrepreneurs to build businesses that create jobs and strengthen communities.

  • Quality Education

    Proven school models built through public-private partnerships and education technology ready to scale.

  • University Success

    The resources, guidance, and career-ready skills college students need to find meaningful employment.

  • Jobs & Livelihoods

    Skills training with real credentials and real placement — with outcomes to demonstrate both.

  • Financial Services

    Innovative lending and financial solutions that help entrepreneurs access capital, grow businesses, and strengthen local economies.

Israel

Israel is stronger when more people can participate in the opportunities created by its innovation economy. Through education, jobs, health, and financial services, we build pathways to upward mobility for communities throughout the country.

  • Quality Education

    Schools and programs that expand access to high-quality STEM learning and prepare students for future careers.

  • Jobs & Livelihoods

    Internships, skills training, national service, and university pathways that lead to meaningful employment.

  • Financial Services

    Financial services that expand opportunity and support long-term economic mobility.

  • Community Resilience

    Programs and innovations that strengthen resilience and expand support for children and families.

Africa

We invest in entrepreneurs and innovators whose ideas create jobs, grow local businesses, and expand economic opportunity.

  • Jobs & Livelihoods

    Entrepreneurship, skills training, and employment programs that lead to higher earnings and lasting livelihoods.

  • Health

    Point-in-time interventions — vision, hearing, women's health, and surgery — that remove barriers to school and work for teens and adults.

FAQ

We don’t have open grant cycles. We reach out directly to organizations whose work aligns with ours. We are, however, open to hearing from organizations doing strong, aligned work. You can share a project using this form. We review all submissions and will reach out directly if there’s a strong fit, though due to volume we’re not able to respond to every inquiry.

We only invest within our specific focus areas and geographies. If your work doesn’t align with what’s described above, it’s unlikely to be a fit. Beyond that, we don’t invest in:

  • Individuals
  • Medical research projects
  • Event fundraisers or sponsorships
  • Lobbying of any kind
  • Endowments
  • Infrastructure or capital campaigns
  • Requests for computers, laptops, tablets, or other hardware

No. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is an independent family foundation — we are not affiliated with Dell Technologies and do not supply computers, laptops, tablets, or other hardware.

We invest to create change that reaches more than a single community or cohort. A successful partnership doesn’t just work. It grows. That means we’re looking for organizations with a model that can expand within each of the regions where we work, serve more children and families over time, and ultimately attract the funding and systems-level support to sustain that growth beyond our investment.

We require concrete, verifiable evidence of the change a program creates (improvements in learning levels, employment outcomes, income, or health) not just activity metrics like the number of people reached. We’re intentional about what and how we measure, focused on data that genuinely shows whether an approach is working.

Yes. Beyond grants, we deploy a range of financial tools including equity, debt, convertible notes, and pay-for-performance instruments to support mission-driven for-profit enterprises. We typically invest at Series A or B and take an active role as a partner, including board representation. Every investment, regardless of structure, must demonstrate measurable impact, whether that’s change in learning levels, access to jobs, or increase in income for the children and families we serve.

A medical student in scrubs and a white coat holding a laptop in a hospital hallway.A medical student in scrubs and a white coat holding a laptop in a hospital hallway.
Two students wearing headphones use tablets together in a classroom.Two students wearing headphones use tablets together in a classroom.

Share a Project

Your Responses

Location

Focus area

Strategy

Organization

Work Summary

Where you work

Select the country where your project is based.

Countries we work in

Don't see your country? Our partnerships depend on deep, hands-on engagement — which is why we work in nine countries within close reach of our regional offices.

Selected states and territories

    Thank you for your submission.

    We genuinely appreciate you taking the time to share your work with us. We review all submissions and will reach out directly if there's a strong fit.

    Because we receive a high volume of submissions and build partnerships primarily through direct outreach, we aren't able to respond to every inquiry or provide individual feedback.

    We're grateful for the work you're doing and wish you continued success.

    If there is strong alignment with our work, our team will be in touch.

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