Warren Buffett Holds Back Annual Donation To Gates Foundation Over Epstein-Linked Review: Report

Published 30 June 2026 · finance

Warren Buffett Holds Back Annual Donation To Gates Foundation Over Epstein-Linked Review: Report Published By, Last Updated: June 30, 2026, 09:37 IST Warren Buffet has

Warren Buffett Holds Back Annual Donation To Gates Foundation Over Epstein-Linked Review: Report Published By, Last Updated: June 30, 2026, 09:37 IST Warren Buffet has postponed his customary mid-year donation of Berkshire Hathaway shares and is expected to revisit the decision later this year. Rapid Read The report also noted that Buffett's relationship with Gates has become strained in recent months. Billionaire Investor Warren Buffett has, for the first time in nearly two decades, decided to delay his annual multibillion-dollar donation to the Gates Foundation while awaiting the outcome of an external review into the organisation and its co-founder Bill Gates’s past links to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. As per the report, citing people familiar with Buffett’s plans, the 95-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman has postponed his customary mid-year donation of Berkshire Hathaway shares and is expected to revisit the decision later this year, possibly in his traditional Thanksgiving letter.

The Gates foundation has been mired in controversy due to Chairman Bill Gates’ association with Epstein. A release of emails in January by the US Justice Department also showed communication between Epstein and the Gates Foundation’s staff. Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman commissioned an external review to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein. The findings are expected in the summer. According to the report, Buffett and people close to him have been in touch with Gates Foundation leadership, including CEO Mark Suzman, to better understand the review and the foundation’s past interactions with Epstein. Buffett has donated roughly $48 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway shares to the Gates Foundation between 2006 and 2025, making it the largest recipient of his philanthropy. Last year’s donation alone was valued at more than $4.5 billion. According to the report, Buffett had already indicated earlier this year that he wanted to review information emerging from the Epstein files before making his annual donation decision.

In a March interview with CNBC, Buffett said he had not spoken to Bill Gates since the US Department of Justice released documents related to Epstein. The report also noted that Buffett’s relationship with Gates has become strained in recent months. Gates did not attend Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting this year, the first time he had skipped the event in several years. As per the report, Buffett’s decision is not expected to affect his annual donations to foundations run by his family, including those managed by his children and the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation. Gates has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has repeatedly said he regrets meeting Epstein, while denying any involvement in or knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct. The Microsoft co-founder has said his relationship with Epstein was confined to philanthropy, and that it was a mistake to meet him. He has also denied spending time with victims of the financier’s sexual abuse.