Buffett pauses mid-year donation to Gates Foundation

Legendary billionaire investor Warren Buffett is skipping his usual midyear donation to the Gates Foundation, according to The Wall Street Journal. It is the first such move in 20 years.

The 95-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman is awaiting a review into the Bill Gates nonprofit’s alleged ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Oracle of Omaha stepped down as a trustee from the Gates nonprofit in 2021. Between 2006 and 2025, he donated about $48 billion to the organization. However, in 2024, Buffett clarified that the foundation would receive no additional funding from his estate after his death.

Buffett’s relationship with 70-year-old Gates has been strained following the release of Epstein files. The two haven’t spoken since January, and Gates even skipped Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in May.

In 2025, Gates announced he would give away 99% of his estimated $108 billion net worth over the next 20 years and shut down the Gates Foundation by 2045.