Dell Foundation pledges $36 million to Harvey relief effort

Michael and Susan Dell have doubled down on the tech industry’s commitment to bail out Texas as it recovers from Hurricane Harvey. The couple pledged a whopping $36 million to the effort through their foundation today.

The money, which represents the largest single contribution to date for the disaster, comes in the form of an $18 million seed contribution, followed by a dollar matching pledge up to another $18 million for a total of $36 million.

“Susan and I are committing $36M to this important work, by giving half this amount to launch the fund, and by starting a matching campaign that will kick off today and continue through midnight on Monday, September 4. During the campaign, we will match $1 for every $2 you donate,” The Dells wrote in a blog post on their foundation website.

The goal is to raise $100 million via a combination of private contributions and dollar matching by the Dell Foundation for people ravaged by the storm surge.

For the Dells, who both grew up in Texas, this hits home. “This disaster is personal to everyone who has roots in Texas. Both of us were born and raised in Texas, and the street Michael grew up on in Houston is under water now,” they wrote in the blog post.

The Dells launched the Foundation 15 years ago to help children living in urban poverty on a global scale, concentrating on education and healthcare. Working with partner organizations, the Foundation has committed more than $1.38 billion to the effort, according to the Foundation website.

Michael Dell famously founded Dell Computer in his dorm room at the University of Texas at Austin in 1984 and went on to build a multi-billion enterprise hardware and software company.

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