Warren Buffett has cut off Buffett Gates Foundation donations, ending a two-decade philanthropic partnership just weeks after Bill Gates publicly detailed his ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The billionaire investor, who once pledged to give away his fortune to the charity “throughout his lifetime,” left it entirely off his latest list of stock recipients.
Buffett had made an “irrevocable” commitment back in 2006 to donate Berkshire Hathaway shares annually to what was then known as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. That arrangement ended abruptly this week when the 95-year-old investor announced his upcoming stock distributions would instead go to four foundations connected to his own family members.
Buffett confirmed he plans to dispose of his remaining Berkshire shares over the next eight years, regardless of what happens to him personally. “Of course, mortality is unpredictable,” he said, “but my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by 31 December, 2034.” Notably, he avoided mentioning either Gates or Epstein by name in his official statement.
The shift comes months after the US Department of Justice released files in January that exposed the extent of Gates’ association with Epstein. Buffett had already signaled his discomfort with the situation back in March, telling CNBC he had not spoken to Gates “since the whole thing was unveiled.” He explained his reasoning bluntly: “I don’t want to be in a position where I know things… to be called as a witness.”
Over the past 20 years, Buffett has donated a staggering $47bn to Gates’ charitable organization, making him one of its most significant benefactors. Despite losing that support, the Gates Foundation struck a gracious tone in its response to the BBC, saying it remains “grateful to Warren Buffett for his decades of support for our work.” The organization added that it continues operating “from a position of financial strength to advance our work through 2045,” backed by Bill Gates’ own $200bn funding commitment.
Gates faced direct questioning over his Epstein connection in June, when he appeared before the US House Oversight Committee. According to testimony transcripts, Gates said he was introduced to Epstein in 2011 under the impression that the financier could help raise billions of dollars for global health initiatives, a core priority for the foundation.
“I recall being aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed,” Gates told lawmakers. That claim is notable given that Epstein had already pleaded guilty three years earlier to soliciting a minor for prostitution and procuring a person under 18 for prostitution.
Gates offered a rare admission of regret during his testimony, telling the committee: “I should never have met with Epstein in the first place. Based on what I know now, I understand that even if he had delivered the donors he promised, it would not have justified associating with him.” Epstein later died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The unraveling of the Buffett-Gates philanthropic relationship marks a striking reversal from its origins. Buffett had once been an enthusiastic champion of the foundation, saying in 2006 that he “greatly” admired its work before committing to yearly contributions. Four years later, Buffett joined Bill and Melinda Gates in launching the Giving Pledge, a campaign encouraging the world’s wealthiest individuals to donate the majority of their fortunes during their lifetimes or through their wills.
The foundation itself has undergone significant upheaval in recent years. Bill and Melinda Gates divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, and Melinda French Gates stepped down from the organization she co-founded in 2024, pledging $1bn of her own toward women’s rights initiatives in the United States. Buffett’s decision to redirect his giving now adds another chapter to that ongoing transformation.