Gates Foundation reviews Jeffrey Epstein ties as founder faces scrutiny

The external review will also examine 'current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships', the organization said in a statement posted online

By Anna Edgerton

 

The Gates Foundation said it is awaiting findings from a review of its past interactions with Jeffrey Epstein amid public scrutiny of co-founder Bill Gates’ ties to the disgraced financier.

 

The external review, commissioned earlier this year, will also examine “current policies for vetting and developing new philanthropic partnerships,” the organization said in a statement posted online Tuesday. The board expects to receive an update on the inquiry in coming months.

 

The foundation’s chief executive officer, Mark Suzman, mentioned the review in an email to staff last month, a spokesperson said. The Wall Street Journal reported the review earlier Tuesday.

 

 

Gates, the former Microsoft Corp. leader-turned-philanthropist, has called his long-known association with Epstein a “huge mistake” but has denied wrongdoing. Their interactions have drawn renewed attention in recent months following the Justice Department’s release of a massive trove of documents known as the Epstein files. Gates, 70, is set to testify before a House committee in June regarding their relationship, which his spokesperson has portrayed as driven by Epstein’s attempts to insert himself into the tech titan’s orbit.

 

The foundation’s image and organization already have been affected. Co-founder Melinda French Gates left the board in 2024 and removed her name from the institution after she and Bill Gates divorced in 2021, in part because of his ties to Epstein.

 

The foundation for decades has been one of the largest funders of global public health, education and gender equality initiatives. Earlier this year, it committed to spending an annual $9 billion as it plans to close operations in 2045. 

 

The philanthropy has also pledged to cap operating expenses at 14% of the foundation’s total budget, which will require eliminating as many as 500 positions. The Seattle-based organization employed 2,375 people as of January, when it signaled the plan to shrink staff.