Micron is giving millions to Idaho children. Here’s how to claim your share

Micron, Idaho’s most valuable company, will donate $250 per child to seed investment accounts for children in five Idaho counties, part of a $250 million donation to provide a “community benefit” in areas the chipmaker operates.

The company on Tuesday announced plans to deposit money in Trump Accounts — tax-advantaged 530A individual retirement accounts — for U.S. citizens under 18 years old with ZIP codes in Ada, Canyon, Gem, Boise and Elmore counties. Created through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump Accounts invest contributions in broad, low-fee index funds. They go live on July 4.

Micron expects the grant to reach 1 million children across seven states, making it the “largest corporate contribution of its kind,” the company said in a statement. Other states where Micron operates include New York, Virginia, California, Colorado, Minnesota and Texas.

“This investment in Trump Accounts is about helping more children build a foundation for future opportunity while supporting the workforce and communities that will help shape the future of U.S. semiconductor leadership,” Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in a press release accompanying the announcement.

Around 200,000 children live in the five qualifying Idaho counties, per recent Census data, though only U.S. citizens can claim the money. Still, in rough terms, that population could translate to some $50 million for Idaho youth.

“America’s technology leadership will be shaped by the next generation and by the opportunities we help create for them today,” April Arnzen, president of the Micron Foundation and the company’s chief people officer, said in a statement. “Through our commitment to Trump Accounts, we’re helping more families take an early step toward long-term financial security while investing in the people and communities that will drive the breakthroughs, industries and opportunities of tomorrow.”

As part of the program, Micron also announced an employee benefit, matching $1,000 per child.

Every American born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, will automatically get $1,000 upon signing up for a Trump Account. You don’t have to put any additional money in, but can contribute up to $5,000 per year. Money will automatically be invested into the stocks of American companies. When a child turns 18, the money is theirs; they can keep it in the account for decades — essentially an IRA — or withdraw it without penalty for approved life events, like higher education, first-time home buying and birth or adoption expenses. Otherwise, there’s a 10% penalty for withdrawing money before age 59.5.

“Micron’s massive investment in their people and communities reflects their tremendous values and love of country and will serve as a blueprint for companies all over America,” Brad Gerstner, founder and chairman of Invest America, a nonprofit that supports Trump Accounts, said in a press release. “This is not an abstract investment — these are meaningful dollars directly into the private Trump Accounts of nearly one million kids.

“Trump Accounts have unlocked a transformative new type of corporate philanthropy that reconnects every child to the American Dream by making them a direct shareholder in our great American companies. We hope every company, small, medium and large, will follow their lead at any level of support.”

Micron has already donated millions to higher education in the Treasure Valley. The Micron Center for Materials Science and Engineering opened at Boise State University in 2020 following a $25 million gift from the chipmaker. And, this year, the company partnered with the College of Western Idaho to train technicians and support its apprenticeship program; terms of that deal were not disclosed, but the college’s new Boise classrooms will be housed in the Micron Academic Center.

These are heady days for the chipmaker, which is close to opening the first phase of its $50 billion Boise manufacturing plant. Driven by fevered demand for chips to power artificial intelligence, the company topped $1 trillion in market cap earlier this year, making it one of the world’s most valuable companies, larger than venerable giants like Walmart, Eli Lilly and Berkshire Hathaway.