Bill Gates Gives Nearly $8 Billion To Ex-Wife Melinda’s Nonprofit As Part of Their Divorce

Bill Gates sent his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, roughly $8 billion as part of their high-profile, yet relatively quiet, divorce.

On January 9, The New York Times published a report explaining that Bill shelled out $7.88 billion to Melinda’s Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, the nonprofit she established shortly after stepping down as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2024.

According to The New York Post, at the time, she said that an additional $12.5 billion would be added to her new nonprofit venture as part of the divorce settlement. Apparently, later that year, Bill made good on that deal, with roughly $8 billion coming from their divorce proceedings.

The Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation works to advance social progress for women.

The Daily Mail reports that Melinda previously hinted that a lack of trust and potential unfaithfulness on Bill’s part led to the end of their marriage. It has come to light in recent years that the Microsoft founder was one of the many wealthy men with close ties to the known pedophile Jeffrey Epstein before he died. Bill and Melinda separated in 2021 after getting married in 1994 and having three kids together.

Since their divorce, the former couple has remained relatively tight-lipped about the circumstances that led to their split, as well as their divorce settlement. The new report from The New York Times offers a small glimpse at just how much money is at play when one of the richest people in the world undergoes a split.