Buffett Omits Gates Foundation After Epstein Ties Revealed
Warren Buffett has omitted the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation from his annual charitable donations for the first time in two decades, following the release of Justice Department files detailing Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The 95-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman will instead donate approximately $6 billion exclusively to four foundations connected to his own family, according to AP News.
A Historic Philanthropic Partnership Comes to an End
Since 2006, Buffett has donated more than $61 billion to the Gates Foundation — the majority of his charitable giving — making it one of the most significant philanthropic partnerships in history. The two billionaires were exceptionally close friends, with Gates serving on Berkshire’s board and Buffett on the Gates Foundation board. But in a statement Tuesday, Buffett made no mention of the Gates Foundation, directing his annual stock donation instead to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation ($4.5 billion), the Sherwood Foundation ($500 million), the Howard G. Buffett Foundation ($500 million), and the Novo Foundation ($500 million).
Buffett also announced an accelerated timeline for giving away his remaining Berkshire Hathaway stock, worth over $140 billion, by December 31, 2034 — rather than within 10 years of his death as previously planned. “Of course, mortality is unpredictable, but my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by December 31, 2034,” Buffett said in a statement, as reported by AP News.
The Epstein Files and the Fracture of a Friendship
The decision follows months of mounting scrutiny. In November 2025, President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, mandating the Justice Department release all Epstein-related files. The DOJ subsequently published approximately 3.5 million pages of documents, with the latest major batch released on January 30, 2026. Bill Gates appears multiple times in these files, including email correspondence about philanthropic projects, calendar entries documenting meetings, and photos, as detailed by CBS News.
Gates testified before the House Oversight Committee on June 10, 2026, calling his meetings with Epstein a “grave error in judgment.” A spokesperson for Gates told CBS News that allegations in the files were “absolutely absurd and completely false,” adding that the documents demonstrate “Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates.”
A Friendship on Ice
The personal toll has been stark. Buffett told CNBC in March that he had not spoken to Gates since the Epstein files were released in the fall of 2025. “I don’t want to be in a position where I know things … to be called as a witness,” Buffett said, according to CNBC. “I think until it gets cleared up, it doesn’t make sense to do a lot of talking.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on June 30 that Buffett was already skipping his usual midyear donation pending a review of the Gates Foundation’s ties to Epstein, as CNBC confirmed. Buffett was reportedly awaiting findings from law firm WilmerHale’s review of the foundation’s past engagement with Epstein.
Implications for Philanthropy
The Gates Foundation, which has an endowment of approximately $50-70 billion, loses its largest annual donor. In a statement, the foundation said it operates from a “position of financial strength” and expressed gratitude for Buffett’s decades of support, according to Reuters via Yahoo Finance.
Buffett had already signaled this shift. In 2024, he announced that donations to the Gates Foundation would cease after his death, as AP News reported. Tuesday’s announcement accelerates that timeline significantly.
What’s Next
The Gates Foundation’s internal investigation into its Epstein ties, launched in March 2026, is expected to report its findings this summer. Buffett is scheduled to give CNBC an exclusive interview on Wednesday, July 15, which may provide further clarity on his reasoning. The decision marks the effective end of one of the most consequential philanthropic alliances in history and raises broader questions about how major donors vet their partnerships in an era of unprecedented transparency.