Ed Cowsar

Some have asked about this: Susan and I wanted our gift to give 25 million children a stronger start and to reach communities where it could make the greatest difference. We began with all eligible children born between 2016 and 2024 who signed up before auto-enrollment and lived in ZIP codes with median family income of $150,000 or less. We wanted families who took that first step to know they could count on our commitment. Next were military children living overseas who also signed up before auto-enrollment. They represented a very small share of our $6.25 billion gift, but we didn’t want to leave them out because their military addresses didn’t fit the usual ZIP-code income framework. Their parents are serving our country abroad, and we want these children included in the future we are investing in. When all American children were auto-enrolled at the beginning of this month, we immediately began funding the accounts of all children born 2016 to 2024 in eligible ZIP codes, beginning in ZIP codes with lowest median family income and moving progressively to higher median family income, up to 25 million accounts in total. We chose this approach with care and a simple hope: that these investments will open doors and help millions of children build the futures they dream of. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸