Bill Gates sends $8B to ex-wife Melinda Gates’ charity after divorce

The donation was made in 2024 to the Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, a nonprofit launched by Melinda, according to newly released tax filings reviewed by the New York Times in January 2026. This disclosure offers the first concrete financial details of the pair's 2021 divorce settlement following their decision to operate independent charitable organizations.

Melinda previously stated that her departure as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, now renamed the Gates Foundation, would include billions in funding for her work focused on women and families.

Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda Gates. Photo by Reuters

The settlement also involved a massive division of personal assets, including real estate valued at over $170 million, a $130 million art collection and significant blocks of Microsoft stock. Forbes estimates that these transfers left Melinda with approximately $25 billion in total assets.

The recently revealed $7.88 billion payment is part of a broader $12.5 billion commitment made by Gates to support his ex-wife's independent philanthropy. The remaining $4.6 billion is believed to have been directed to Pivotal Ventures, a limited liability company that remains shielded from public disclosure.

This payout draws comparisons to the 2019 split between Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott, in which the latter was transferred $38 billion of Amazon stock.

While the Bezos-Scott separation was relatively straightforward, the Gates divorce has unfolded over several years through real estate divisions and a delayed philanthropic transition.

The couple ended their 27-year marriage in 2021, stating they no longer believed they could "grow together" amid reports of private strain and scrutiny regarding Bill’s past associations, New York Post reported.

Melinda later identified Bill Gates meetings with late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as the main reason for the split, noting that the relationship deeply troubled her and destroyed the trust necessary for the marriage to continue.

It’s also revealed that Bill had an affair with a Microsoft employee in 2000 and later exchanged emails that were deemed inappropriate with another female employee in 2008.

Bill stepped down from Microsoft’s board in 2020, just months before the divorce.

Melinda’s foundation, Pivotal Philanthropies, has immediately vaulted into the top tier of American philanthropy, reporting nearly $7 billion in assets following the infusion.