Gates Foundation Review Finds No Payments to Epstein

An external review commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has found no evidence that the organization paid convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or participated in his criminal activities, while detailing roughly 30 meetings between foundation staff and the financier over a three-year period. The foundation released a summary of the findings on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, and announced a series of governance reforms.

The review, conducted by the law firm WilmerHale, concluded that the foundation’s engagement with Epstein occurred from 2011 to 2014 and focused on two specific matters. The first was a proposed donor-advised fund intended to pool donations from wealthy individuals for global public health initiatives. The second involved the International Peace Institute, a nonprofit to which Epstein introduced foundation chairman Bill Gates in 2012.

According to the report, the foundation did not pursue the donor fund after a December 2014 breakfast meeting at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, where it became apparent that Epstein had misrepresented the willingness of other potential donors to contribute. The foundation did, however, award a grant to the International Peace...