Warren Buffett ends annual Berkshire stock donations to Gates Foundation after Epstein-related scrutiny

Warren Buffett has ended nearly two decades of donations to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, redirecting about $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock to four family foundations instead.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has ended donations to the Gates Foundation and will transfer approximately US$6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock to four foundations associated with his family. The 95-year-old Berkshire chairman said Tuesday that he will convert 8,000 Class A shares into 12 million Class B shares before distributing them among the charities. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named after his late wife, will receive nine million shares. The Sherwood Foundation, Howard G Buffett Foundation and NoVo Foundation will each receive one million shares. The latter three are overseen by Buffett’s children. Buffett also set a deadline of December 31, 2034, to donate all his remaining Berkshire shares to the four organisations. The latest distribution excludes the Gates Foundation, which has received more than US$47 billion in Berkshire stock since Buffett pledged in 2006 to donate much of his wealth to charity. The decision comes amid scrutiny of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ past interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and an external review by the Gates Foundation of its previous engagements with Epstein. Buffett did not refer to Epstein or explain the exclusion of the Gates Foundation in his announcement. Gates told members of the United States Congress in June that he did not fully understand the extent of Epstein’s crimes when the two associated and said he never witnessed criminal conduct. The Gates Foundation has said it did not employ Epstein or make payments to him.

Warren Buffett Cuts Gates Foundation From Annual Stock Giving As Epstein Scandal Shadows Over Bill Gates Warren Buffett excluded the Gates Foundation from his annual charitable stock gifts for the first time in two decades, as scrutiny over Bill Gates' connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues to cast a dark shadow over Gates and the foundation. CNBC reports that the 95-year-old chairman will donate 9 million Class B shares to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, and 1 million shares each to the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and the Novo Foundation. "My goal is to dispose of all of my Berkshire shares within about eight years," Buffett wrote in a statement announcing the gifts. He added, "As I explained last year, my children are unfortunately growing older. I have every hope that the three of them are able to carry out the disposal of my shares by December 31, 2034." Buffett's exclusion of the Gates Foundation breaks decades of giving; the foundation has received more than $47 billion in Berkshire stock from Buffett since 2006. This follows scrutiny of the foundation's ties to Epstein, and Buffett has recently said he has not spoken with Gates since the controversy erupted. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the Gates Foundation slashed 500 jobs, or about 20% of its staff, as the organization has come under fire for Gates' ties to Epstein. Back in February, Gates pulled out as a keynote speaker at a high-profile global AI summit in India. The Gates Foundation CEO recently told employees during a town hall event that the Gates-Epstein relationship had deeply tarnished the nonprofit's reputation, according to a Financial Times report. Bill Gates with an unidentified but manifestly well-proportioned brunette number, in a photo from the Epstein files (House Oversight Committee) However, it is not just the Gates-Epstein ties that Buffett should be concerned about. Late last year, the Gates Foundation had to publicly sever ties with far-left philanthropic adviser Arabella Advisors, which engineered a revolutionary network of nonprofit entities, including the New Venture Fund, Sixteen Thirty Fund, Hopewell Fund, and Windward Fund, that support the permanent protest industrial complex against President Trump. Meanwhile, even left-wing outlets like Bloomberg are criticizing the Gates family. How will Bill repair his image, or will he ever be able to? Tyler Durden Tue, 07/14/2026 - 09:25

Buffet has donated about $47-billion in Berkshire stock since 2006, including $4.5-billion last year

Buffett directed 12 million Class B shares to four family-linked foundations, ending roughly two decades of annual gifts to the Gates Foundation