We fund projects that directly serve or impact children living in urban poverty in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including urban microfinance ).
The foundation supports programs and organizations that fall within our key focus areas and align with our mission. Prioritizing those areas enables us to create opportunities for children and families to achieve their full potential.
The foundation does not provide grants to support:
• Individuals
• Medical research projects
• Event fundraisers or sponsorships
• Lobbying of any kind
• Endowments
• Infrastructure
• Requests for computers, laptops, tablets, or other hardware
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is not affiliated with Dell Technologies and does not supply computers or related technology equipment.
The exact amount of the foundation’s contributions changes from year to year, depending on available programs.
See detailed instructions on the application page.
There is one application for all geographies.
A problem statement defines the unmet needs your organization is trying to address. It is a required part of the grant application. Your problem statement should:
• Identify who you are trying to help and why.
• Include data or numeric evidence documenting the scope of the problem affecting your target population.
• Describe the geographic area where you work.
For example (numbers cited below are for illustrative purposes only):
In the XYZ school district in [country], 40 percent of fourth graders are reading one or more grade levels below proficiency as measured by the state standard reading test. The average percentage of students reading at grade level statewide is 82 percent, and the average for districts that are demographically similar to XYZ is 58 percent.
The foundation funds programs and organizations that can document a measurable impact on a program’s impact on children and families. Our application process asks that you show progress — through measurable data relevant to your problem statement — toward helping children achieve their full potential.
Baseline data and evidence are the data or numeric evidence documenting the problem in your geographic area and target population. To demonstrate the outcomes or measurable progress of a program, you must be able to document your starting point. The baseline data is point A. The desired outcome is point B.
A strong application helps us understand your plan to get from point A to point B based on the baseline data and the desired outcome, and how the foundation’s support can help.
As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25 percent of a project’s budget or more than 10 percent of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.
After you submit your grant request online, you will be directed to a confirmation web page with details on the timeline for review. After our team reviews your request in detail, we will email you about the status of your submission.