Warren Buffett Pauses Midyear Gift to Gates Foundation Pending Epstein Review

Warren Buffett will not make a midyear donation to the Gates Foundation in 2026. This marks the first time in 20 years that he has skipped the annual transfer. Buffett is postponing the donation until later in 2026 and may wait until his annual Thanksgiving letter to announce a decision, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Since 2006 the Gates Foundation has received Buffett's midyear donations. In that year he transferred 500,000 Berkshire Hathaway 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.

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. 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, led by law firm WilmerHale, began in March 2026 and is expected to conclude later in summer 2026.

The foundation has not commented on the reported delay in Buffett's donation.