Key Takeaways
Warren Buffett left the Gates Foundation out of his midyear donations for the first time since 2006, and instead gave nearly $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock to four foundations run by his children.
Buffett is holding the annual gift while an outside review of the Gates Foundation's ties to Jeffrey Epstein plays out, with an update expected this summer.
The move underlines how much donor confidence in a nonprofit rests on governance and reputation, not just its mission.
Warren Buffett has given billions to the Gates Foundation nearly every year since 2006. This year he gave it nothing.
In a statement Tuesday, the 95-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chair said he would donate about 9 million Class B shares, worth roughly $4.4 billion, to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, and 1 million shares each, worth about $496 million apiece, to the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Novo Foundation. All four are run by his children. The Gates Foundation, long the largest recipient of his giving, was left off the list for the first time in 20 years.
The reason is governance, not money. The Wall Street Journal reported in June that Buffett was delaying the gift while the Gates Foundation completed an outside review of its ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The foundation launched that review in April and said it expected an update this summer. Buffett has been in contact with its leadership about the issue.
None of this changes his larger pledge. Buffett has promised to give away more than 99% of a fortune Forbes values at $147 billion, and he said his remaining Berkshire shares "will be donated to the four foundations" by the end of 2034. What changed is where the money goes, and why.
The most notable part of this is what it says about trust. A foundation's ability to attract major gifts rests on more than the good it does, and when a governance question is unresolved, even a two-decade giving relationship can pause. WYDE has covered how record giving is flowing to newer vehicles, from Chris Larsen's Rippleworks and its record $154 million in grants to the Bezos Earth Fund's $100 million for urban parks. The pattern here is hard to ignore. Where the biggest donors put their money, and where they stop, is its own kind of accountability.
People Also Ask
Why did Warren Buffett skip the Gates Foundation this year?
He is holding his annual gift while the Gates Foundation completes an outside review of its ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The review began in April, with an update expected this summer.
How much did Buffett give in 2026 and to whom?
He gave nearly $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock to four foundations run by his children: the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Novo Foundation.
Is Buffett ending his giving to the Gates Foundation for good?
He has not said that. He is waiting on the review's outcome, and the Journal reported he may revisit the decision later in the year.
Will Buffett still give away his fortune?
Yes. He has pledged more than 99% of his wealth and said his remaining Berkshire shares will go to the four family foundations by the end of 2034.