Warren Buffett omits annual donation to Bill Gates’ foundation after his Epstein ties were disclosed
Billionaire Warren Buffett omitted Bill Gates’ foundation from his annual donations this year after disclosures of the Microsoft co-founder’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey
Billionaire Warren Buffett omitted Bill Gates’ foundation from his annual donations this year after disclosures of the Microsoft co-founder’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He will donate about $6 billion to four foundations connected to his own family, but did not mention Mr. Gates in his announcement on Tuesday (July 14, 2026). Buffett also said in his statement that he wants all of his remaining Berkshire Hathaway stock worth more than $140 billion donated to charity by the end of 2034. Previously the plan was for his three children to distribute his remaining fortune within 10 years of the 95-year-old investor’s death. “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,” Mr. Buffett said in a statement. “The goal is to have the grants grow annually to each of the three foundations managed by each of my children and the annual grant to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation grow at a somewhat greater rate.” Buffett and the Gates Foundation did not immediately respond on Tuesday to questions. CNBC said Mr. Buffett is scheduled to give the channel an exclusive interview on this topic on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) morning. The majority of Mr. Buffett’s charitable gifts — worth more than $61 billion — have gone to the Gates Foundation since he announced the plan to give away his fortune in 2006.
He has been giving blocks of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Gates Foundation and the four foundations run by his three children regularly. Buffett plans to give about $4.5 billion in stock to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation this year and about $500 million in shares each to the Sherwood Foundation, Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Novo Foundation, which are run by his children. So the total amount of donations announced on Tuesday is similar to the roughly $6 billion in donations he made last summer, with Mr. Buffett’s family foundations getting significantly more than in previous years that would seem to account for the money that would have gone to the Gates Foundation. Gates denies any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has not been accused of any wrongdoing. He said he only met with Epstein because he thought it might help him raise money for charitable causes. Epstein, who was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found dead at the Manhattan federal lockup in August 2019 and his death was later ruled a suicide by New York City’s medical examiner. Buffett already said in 2024 that he planned to cut off donations to the Gates Foundation after his death and let his three children decide how to distribute the rest of his fortune. The decision he announced on Tuesday will accelerate that plan. Buffett and Mr. Gates used to be exceptionally close friends who talked often, played bridge online and even took vacations together.
The BriefWire