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‘Woman in the red dress’ Susan Dell’s $6.25 billion gift is landing in accounts this week – here’s who qualifies
Susan Dell, the billionaire philanthropist who went viral as the "woman in the red dress" during a White House is helping deliver a $6.25 billion gift to millions of Americans.
On October 7, the 62-year-old, who married Dell Technologies chief executive Michael Dell in 1989 and shares four children with him, appeared alongside President Trump to discuss his Trump Accounts Investment programme.
The couple established the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, created in 1999 "to accelerate opportunities for families and build pathways to change lives globally".
Their latest philanthropic commitment, announced in December 2025, will provide $250 each to 25 million eligible children, with contributions expected to arrive by Friday, October 9.
Who qualifies for Susan Dell’s $250 gift?
According to Invest America’s Q&A page titled "Did Your Child Receive the Dell's $250 Contribution?", children born between 2016 and 2024, making them age 10 or younger, could qualify for the payment.
The Dells' $6.25 billion fund initially targeted children in the country’s lowest-income ZIP codes, then expanded to more neighborhoods, reaching 25 million children.
While earlier reports placed the last ZIP code median family income cutoff at $115,000, Invest America’s latest guidance lists approximately $118,000 based on US Census data. This remains below the originally proposed $150,000 threshold.
Eligibility is determined by the median family income in a child’s ZIP code, rather than the household’s individual earnings.
Parents can find their area’s figures by visiting Census Reporter's median family income table.
Children living on military bases are also included if otherwise eligible, while money has been held back for kids in foster care until the details are ironed out, with "contributions expected next year."
In a recent interview with Yahoo Finance, Michael said he hopes the gift would put children "on the path of saving and investing and learning about compounding."
The founder was ranked fifth on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a $268 billion net worth at Wednesday's close, putting him ahead of Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, and Oracle's Larry Ellison.
More than 70 million children now have Trump Accounts
Approximately 70 million American children now have Trump Accounts following an automatic enrollment expansion by the Treasury Department.
On October 1, officials automatically registered 60 million children under 18, adding to the 10 million whose parents opted in after the accounts were released on July 4.
"With automatic enrollment now complete, every American child under the age of 18 has a Trump Account in their name, making it easier than ever for families to participate," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement.
The president expressed optimism about the program’s potential to build wealth.
"So if all goes well, which I think it will, they'll end up being quite rich by the time they're 18 and then 21," he remarked.
Viral White House appearance
While the multibillion-dollar announcement attracted attention, Susan became a trending topic after viewers noticed her appearance at the Oval Office.
Some users took to X to express surprise at her posture and reserved demeanor.
"Her mannerisms [are] like a robot clone," one user reacted, while another said: "I was looking at the dress because I thought it was something with that until I looked up and got actually jumpscared."
"Is this AI or something? Who are the people around Trump, and especially that weird woman?" a third added.
The viral moment prompted some people to share photos from Susan's former career in the high-fashion industry.
A picture from Olympus Fashion Week Fall in 2006 captured her dressed in an all-black ensemble, showcasing a distinctly different style from her recent attire.