Elon Musk announced plans to distribute one of his SpaceX shares to every child in the United States, with TechCrunch reporting the intended start year as 2027. This initiative, which Musk stated on X would be the first of many such donations, is estimated by The Verge to involve around $10.5 billion worth of shares.
The value of this proposed gift, according to TechCrunch, exceeds $10 billion, based on the current $146 share price of SpaceX, described as a combination spaceflight and AI company. The Verge specified that there are approximately 72 million children in the US as of July 2025, citing a report from CNBC for the valuation. TechCrunch noted that, based on federal data from the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, there are currently over 70 million children under 18 in the United States.
The exact mechanism for distributing these shares remains unclear, as highlighted by TechCrunch. However, Musk has indicated a desire to give the shares directly to the public. Both The Verge and TechCrunch mentioned Trump Accounts, which are described as tax-advantaged investment accounts set up by President Donald Trump through the Treasury for children, designed to accept stock donations from wealthy individuals. The Verge previously reported that SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell announced a plan to give shares of her SpaceX stock to 2 million Trump Accounts. Other precedents cited by The Verge include Dell's founder investing $6.25 billion and Micron announcing a $250 million investment in these accounts.
Musk's announcement came after several related developments. TechCrunch reported that it followed Anthropic's promise to place 5% of its shares into a new public benefit fund intended for large donations or direct distributions. Musk replied to Anthropic's post on X, suggesting that company should give directly to the public, adding that he would be doing the same. The Verge also noted that Musk's pledge follows Shotwell's earlier announcement concerning Trump Accounts.
Beyond this share pledge, The Verge reported on Musk's significant political contributions. He donated $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund PAC in September, which CBS News reported constituted more than half of the super PAC's total receipts for that quarter. He also contributed $76 million to America PAC, a Super PAC he founded in 2024. TechCrunch added that Musk spent around $300 million to assist in the election of President Donald Trump.
Regarding his philanthropic history, TechCrunch stated that Musk's giving has largely been channeled through his Musk Foundation, identified as the fifth-largest private charitable foundation in the U.S. Despite Musk's reported negative opinions about philanthropy, a review by The Economist, referenced by TechCrunch, indicated that a majority of the funds distributed by the Musk Foundation over the years have gone to entities connected to Musk himself.
