Dells’ foundation pledges $36 million to relief efforts
Foundation helps start Rebuild Texas Fund, which has $100M goal.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. Talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres. President Donald Trump. Actress Sandra Bullock. Comedian Kevin Hart.
Plenty of big names have stepped up this week, giving to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Now it’s time to add the wealthiest man in Central Texas to the list.
Michael Dell, CEO of Round Rock-based Dell Technologies and a graduate of Memorial High School on Houston’s west side, and his wife, Susan, who also has Houston roots, announced Friday that their Michael and Susan Dell Foundation would commit $36 million to the cause.
Half that amount was used to launch the Rebuild Texas Fund while a matching campaign that runs through midnight Monday will offer $1 for every $2 given for the first $36 million raised.
The effort is a collaboration with the OneStar Foundation. Early partners, according to a list released Friday, include the Bazaarvoice Foundation; Carly and Clayton Christopher; David Robinson and the Robinson Family Foundation; the Gerstner Family Foundation; Lorraine Clasquin; Kate Harslem and Eric Harslem; the Lyda Hill Foundation; the Kozmetsky Family Foundation; Red McCombs; the Sooch Foundation; Verizon and Walmart.
The ultimate goal is $100 million total for long-term Harvey recovery efforts, Michael Dell and Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday in interviews on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
“This is our home,” Michael Dell said in a written statement. “And we know that it will take all of us working together, over the long term, to rebuild our Texas communities. The Rebuild Texas Fund will be a partnership among rally companies, community leaders and individuals to work alongside state and federal officials to provide an additional source of funding and ideas for recovery and rebuilding.”
Harvey has devastated numerous Texas coastal communities, big and small, including Port Aransas, Rockport, Corpus Christi, Houston, Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange. Nearly 50 people are confirmed dead, thousands are homeless, and damage estimates range from $30 billion to more than $100 billion.
“Over the past week, we have seen Texans and Americans come together to assist in the relief and recovery efforts, and I have no doubt that this generosity will extend to this fund,” Abbott said. “I thank Michael and Susan Dell for their commitment to the state of Texas and to all those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
“This incredibly generous donation from the Dell Foundation, in partnership with the OneStar Foundation, and the incredible work of Michael and Susan Dell, is truly a blessing. This selfless gift is a true representation of the Texas spirit and will go a long way for those in need.”
Since 1999, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation says it has committed more than $1.38 billion in funds to a variety of causes in the United States, India and South Africa.
“These are such great Texans,” Abbott said. “A storm that has been as large as Texas requires a response as big as Texas, and I think Michael and Susan Dell and their foundation ... they’ve been innovation and technology leaders in the world and they’ve also now been leaders in the foundation area. We need their support, as well as the support of people across the world.” Contact Gary Dinges at 512-912-5987. Twitter: @gdinges