Warren Buffett has quietly severed a major lifeline to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, skipping the Seattle giant in his latest midyear stock giveaway and steering roughly $6 billion in Berkshire Hathaway shares to four family-run foundations instead. The shift interrupts a long-running philanthropic pipeline that funneled a hefty slice of Buffett’s fortune into the Gates operation and lands as scrutiny continues over Bill Gates’s past association with Jeffrey Epstein. For Seattle, it means the foundation will not see the multibillion-dollar bump it has grown used to each summer.
Where Buffett’s Billions Went
Buffett converted 8,000 Class A Berkshire shares into about 12 million Class B shares and sent those shares, worth roughly $6 billion, to his family charities this year. According to The Associated Press, 9 million shares went to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and one million shares each went to the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the NoVo Foundation. The overall total is similar to last year’s midyear giveaway, but the Gates Foundation was not on the recipient list.
Why He Hit Pause On Gates Gifts
The shift follows reporting that Buffett delayed his usual midyear contribution while waiting for the results of an outside review into the Gates Foundation’s past interactions with Jeffrey Epstein. The Chronicle of Philanthropy notes the foundation hired law firm WilmerHale to dig into those ties and that trustees expect an update "sometime this summer." That review, along with public testimony about Gates’s meetings with Epstein, appears to have weighed on Buffett as he decided to redirect his 2026 gift.
Buffett’s Timeline, Minus Gates
Buffett has said he plans to transfer his remaining Berkshire shares to the four family foundations "one way or the other" by December 31, 2034, and that this year’s giving is comparable in size to last year’s. As Reuters notes, he did not mention the Gates Foundation in his announcement, even though it has received tens of billions of dollars of his stock since 2006.
The Legal And Philanthropy Backstory
Experts say Buffett’s 2006 pledge shaped long-term planning at the Gates Foundation but does not automatically amount to an enforceable contract. "A promise to make a gift in the future is not legally binding unless you get consideration," Boston College law professor Ray Madoff told Reuters. If the Gates Foundation does in fact lose a recurring multibillion-dollar inflow, that could squeeze its budgets and force shifts in grantmaking strategy.
What It Means In Seattle
Local coverage, including a video segment from KIRO 7, has framed the move as a rare public break with a long-standing anchor of Seattle’s philanthropic scene. The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that the Gates Foundation has been bracing for a future with less Buffett support and that leadership is watching the WilmerHale review closely.
What To Watch Next
All eyes now turn to the WilmerHale review and how much of it the Gates Foundation chooses to make public. Keep an eye on Buffett’s media appearances as well. The Associated Press reports that CNBC has scheduled an interview with him to discuss the decision. Also watch for any formal statement from the Gates Foundation explaining whether, and how, the funding change might alter its near-term grantmaking.
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