Warren Buffett’s June 2024 statement meant that he no longer planned to leave the Gates Foundation future gifts after his death, despite an earlier stated intention to continue his giving beyond his lifetime. In July 2026, he went further: Berkshire Hathaway said his 2026 donation and his remaining Berkshire shares would go to four foundations associated with his family, not the Gates Foundation.
What Buffett said in 2024
In June 2024, Buffett told the Wall Street Journal, “The Gates Foundation has no money coming after my death.” The statement addressed future, posthumous funding. It did not, by itself, announce that he was ending his then-current donations to the foundation.
The Gates Foundation’s CEO, Mark Suzman, responded that Buffett had been “exceedingly generous to the Gates Foundation through more than 18 years of contributions and advice.” Associated Press coverage, June 2024
How the 2024 statement differed from his 2006 pledge
In a 2006 letter to Bill and Melinda Gates, Buffett said he was “irrevocably committing” to annual gifts of Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares during his lifetime for the benefit of the foundation. His plan described ten million shares earmarked for contributions, with five percent of the remaining balance to be given each year, subject to conditions.
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The letter also said he intended to provide for the commitment to continue after his death, through distribution of the remaining earmarked shares or another method. That stated posthumous intent is the commitment his 2024 remark changed. Buffett’s 2006 letter and announcement
What changed in 2026
On July 14, 2026, Berkshire Hathaway announced that Buffett’s donation that year—12 million Class B shares—would go to four foundations associated with his family:
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- Nine million shares to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation.
- One million shares each to the Sherwood Foundation, Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and Novo Foundation.
Buffett also said, “My goal is to dispose of all of my Berkshire shares within about eight years,” and that his remaining shares would be donated to those four foundations “by December 31, 2034.” This 2026 decision redirected his current gifts as well as the remaining shares he expects to give. It is distinct from the 2024 statement, which concerned what the Gates Foundation would receive after his death. Berkshire Hathaway release, July 14, 2026
What the change means—and what it does not establish
Buffett’s 2024 statement made clear that the Gates Foundation should not expect an inheritance from him after his death. The 2026 announcement clarified where his future Berkshire share donations were headed: four family-associated foundations rather than the Gates Foundation.
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The Berkshire release sets a deadline for donating his remaining shares, not for the recipient foundations to spend the money. The timing of their grantmaking is not specified in that announcement. Accounts of the reasons for Buffett’s changed plans discuss multiple factors; they should be treated as reported explanations, not as a single confirmed motive. The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s coverage
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The scale of Buffett’s past gifts and the foundation’s resources
The Gates Foundation reports that Buffett gave it $47.9 billion from 2006 through 2025. Separately, it reported an endowment of $92 billion as of June 30, 2026, a figure it identified as unaudited, and charitable support of $8.47 billion in 2025. Those figures describe the foundation’s reported resources and support; they do not change the meaning of Buffett’s statement about his own future gifts. Gates Foundation 2025 annual report information, published 2026
The foundation describes its mission as helping create a world where everyone has the chance to live a healthy and productive life. It says it works primarily in low- and middle-income countries with public, private, and nonprofit partners. Gates Foundation, About Us
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