US EditionBill Gates Pays $8 Billion in Divorce Settlement Five Years After Split From Ex-Wife Melinda
Bill Gates fulfilled a $12.5 billion divorce pledge by donating $7.88 billion to Melinda French Gates’ foundation, boosting its assets over 1,000%, tax filings show.
- On Jan 9, 2026, tax filings show Bill Gates recorded a $7.88 billion gift to Melinda French Gates' Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation as part of their divorce settlement, reported by The New York Times' DealBook.
- The divorce agreement stipulated Melinda French Gates, who resigned as co-chair in May 2024, would receive a $12.5 billion promise to fund work "on behalf of women and families."
- Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, founded in 2022, saw assets rise to about $7.4 billion in 2024 from $604 million at the end of 2023 and gave more than $540 million in grants between 2022–2024.
- Pivotal Philanthropies spokesperson confirmed the agreement was fulfilled, but reports note it’s unclear where about $4.6 billion was allocated and that it may appear in later tax filings or at Pivotal Ventures, Melinda French Gates' LLC that does not file tax returns.
- Amid the large transfer, Durham-based nonprofit Rewriting the Code grew from one employee in 2019 to 26 this year and received $5 million from Pivotal Philanthropies in 2025.
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The Independent
The Independent (US)Bill Gates sent $8B to ex-wife Melinda for charity work
The pair announced their divorce in May 2021 and subsequently split up their philanthropic efforts
New Detail Emerges on How Bill Gates and Ex-Wife Melinda Divided Their Billions and Their Charity Work After Divorce
He agreed to give her $12.5 billion — and much of that was done in 2024Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Lisa Lake/Getty From left: Bill Gates and Melinda French GatesNEED TO KNOWBill Gates donated $7.88 billion to ex-wife Melinda French Gates' philanthropy following her departure from their charitable foundation, PEOPLE can confirmThe money was given as as part of an agreement following their divorceMelinda announced her departure from the Gates Foundatio…
Melinda founded the Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation in late 2022, a year after her divorce.
Bill Gates’ massive $8 billion charity gift to ex-wife Melinda French Gates revealed
Melinda French Gates launched her Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation in 2022. Bill Gates’ donation follows past controversies, including his resignation from Microsoft’s board amid an investigation into an affair with a company employee.
Bill Gates' divorce was obviously not completely closed. The multibillionaire has discreetly transferred nearly $8 billion in recent days to the private foundation of his former wife, Melinda Gates, marking one of the largest payments related to a divorce ever made public.This $7.88 billion donation was made in 2024 to the Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, a relatively recent non-profit organization launched by Melinda Gates. This information c…
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