An external review of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation found no evidence of payments to Jeffrey Epstein or any knowledge of his sex trafficking operations, the organization announced on Tuesday.
The inquiry, conducted by law firm WilmerHale and commissioned in March 2026, identified roughly 30 meetings between Epstein and foundation leaders and staff — including Bill Gates — from 2011 to 2014. Interactions centered on a proposed donor-advised fund and a grant to the International Peace Institute for polio eradication. Staff raised concerns multiple times about associating with Epstein given his prior conviction, and the foundation ultimately abandoned the donor-advised fund after Epstein misrepresented other donors' commitments.
The foundation has since adopted centralized vetting and expanded conflict-of-interest policies. The review's release follows Bill Gates's testimony before the House Oversight Committee in June and Warren Buffett's decision this month to end donations to the foundation.