Warren Buffett Skips Gates Foundation With Annual Midyear Donation

By Colin Kellaher

Warren Buffett is making his annual midyear donation of stock, giving nearly $6 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway shares to four family foundations, but the billionaire investor is skipping his usual contribution to the Gates Foundation.

Berkshire Hathaway on Tuesday said Buffett is converting 8,000 Class A shares into 12 million Class B shares and will donate 9 million shares to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and 1 million shares each to the Sherwood Foundation, Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Novo Foundation.

The Wall Street Journal last month reported that Buffett would skip his usual midyear donation to the Gates Foundation for the first time in two decades as the famed investor waits to see the findings of a review into the foundation's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

The 95-year-old Buffett has donated billions of dollars worth of stock to the family foundations and the Gates Foundation since 2006 as part of a pledge to give more than 99% of his wealth to philanthropy.

The Journal, citing people familiar with Buffett's plans, reported that the famed investor was delaying his decision on further donations to the Gates Foundation until later in the year, possibly until when he puts out his Thanksgiving letter.

Berkshire Hathaway's announcement on Tuesday made no mention of the Gates Foundation but quoted Buffett as saying that his remaining shares would be donated to the four family foundations by the end of 2034.

Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 14, 2026 09:02 ET (13:02 GMT)