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Warren Buffett Delays Midyear Gift to Gates Foundation for First Time in 20 Years
Warren Buffett will not make his usual midyear donation to the Gates Foundation in 2026. The postponement follows contacts between Buffett's team and foundation leaders over the organization's past links to Jeffrey Epstein.
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Warren Buffett will not make a midyear donation to the Gates Foundation in 2026. This marks the first time in 20 years that Buffett has skipped the annual transfer. Buffett is postponing the donation until later in 2026 and may wait until his annual Thanksgiving letter, the Wall Street Journal reported.
In June 2026 Buffett gave a record $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway shares to five charities, with the largest portion directed to the Gates Foundation. The foundation has received Buffett's midyear donations since 2006, when he transferred 500,000 Berkshire shares then valued at $1.5 billion.
Total gifts from Buffett to the foundation between 2006 and 2025 reached $48 billion, according to the Journal.
Buffett and his aides have contacted foundation leadership to seek additional details about its past links to Jeffrey Epstein. In March 2026 Buffett told CNBC he had not spoken with Bill Gates since the release of Epstein-related files. The Gates Foundation stated earlier in 2026 that a small number of employees met with Epstein to explore possible funding but that no collaboration occurred and no payments were made.
The foundation commissioned an external review of its engagement with Epstein; the review began in March 2026 and is led by law firm WilmerHale, with an expected conclusion later in summer 2026. The Gates Foundation has not commented on the reported delay in Buffett's donation.
