Billionaire Warren Buffett has ended his historic philanthropic partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, omitting the charity from his annual donations for the first time in two decades. On Tuesday in Omaha, Nebraska, the 95-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman announced he would donate approximately six billion dollars in Berkshire Hathaway stock exclusively to four family foundations, bypassing the Gates Foundation entirely.
The decision marks a dramatic departure from Buffett’s pledge made in 2006 to donate shares to the Gates Foundation throughout his lifetime. Since that initial commitment, Buffett has contributed more than forty-seven billion dollars to the foundation, which has served as the primary recipient of his annual midyear donations for the past twenty years.
The omission comes directly in response to disclosures about Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In recent months, the Justice Department has released extensive documents detailing interactions between Gates and Epstein, including emails, photographs, and calendar entries documenting meetings between the two men. Gates became friends with Epstein in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting an underage girl for prostitution.
Last month, Gates testified before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Epstein, calling it “a grave error in judgment” while maintaining that he never witnessed criminal activity or engaged in any wrongdoing. The Microsoft founder acknowledged meeting with Epstein because he believed the financier could help raise money for philanthropic causes, but stated he severed ties with him in December 2014 after realizing Epstein would not deliver on his philanthropic promises.
The release of Epstein files beginning in late 2025 has significantly strained Buffett and Gates’ longtime friendship. Buffett told CNBC in March that he had not spoken to Gates since the documents became public, citing his reluctance to be drawn into potential legal proceedings. “I don’t want to be in a position where I know things to be called as a witness,” Buffett said at that time, while also noting that “until it gets cleared up, it doesn’t make sense to do a lot of talking.”
According to multiple reports from June, Buffett initially delayed his annual donation while awaiting the conclusions of an external review commissioned by the Gates Foundation. The foundation retained law firm WilmerHale to conduct an investigation into its historical ties with Epstein, with findings expected over the summer. Rather than waiting for those results, Buffett’s Tuesday announcement indicates he has decided to permanently redirect his giving away from the foundation.
The two men had been extraordinarily close collaborators for more than three decades. Along with Melinda French Gates, Buffett and Gates co-founded The Giving Pledge in 2010, a campaign encouraging billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. They frequently played bridge together, attended Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meetings side by side, and remained in regular contact, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when they spoke weekly.
Gates served on Berkshire Hathaway’s board of directors until 2020, while Buffett served as a trustee of the Gates Foundation until 2021, when he resigned shortly after Gates and Melinda announced their divorce. Despite those departures, Buffett continued his substantial annual donations to the foundation without interruption until now.
The decision to exclude the Gates Foundation represents a significant shift. Under the new plan Buffett outlined Tuesday, approximately four and a half billion dollars will go to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named for his late first wife. The remaining funds will be distributed among three other family foundations: the Sherwood Foundation supporting Nebraska nonprofits and early childhood education, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation focusing on global hunger and human trafficking, and the NoVo Foundation supporting marginalized girls and women.
Buffett also announced an accelerated timeline for giving away his remaining fortune. Rather than allowing his three children to distribute his wealth over ten years following his death, Buffett wants his approximately one hundred forty-six billion dollars in remaining Berkshire Hathaway stock donated to charity by the end of 2034. “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 stated.
Neither Buffett nor the Gates Foundation immediately responded to questions about his decision. However, CNBC announced that Buffett would grant an exclusive interview on the topic Wednesday morning to discuss his rationale further.
Gates has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct and has not been accused of any wrongdoing. His ex-wife Melinda French Gates, who left the Gates Foundation in 2024 after their 2021 divorce, has also begun distancing herself from the organization following the Epstein file releases.
The partnership between Buffett and Gates represents one of the most consequential philanthropic collaborations in history, channeling tens of billions of dollars toward global health, education, and poverty reduction. The dissolution of their giving relationship underscores the profound impact the Epstein scandal has had on Gates’ professional relationships and philanthropic legacy.