External review finds no wrongdoing in Gates Foundation–Epstein links

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that an external review commissioned by the Gates Foundation found no evidence that the organisation made payments to, or participated in criminal activity connected with, Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted US sex offender. The foundation released the findings on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, after hiring the law firm WilmerHale to conduct a review that began in March.

According to the report described by Al Jazeera, the review identified two interactions involving Epstein between 2011 and 2014. One concerned a proposed donor-advised fund intended to back global public health work. The review, which included interviews with 50 current and former employees, found the foundation did not move ahead with the fund after Epstein failed to secure commitments he had claimed from other philanthropic partners.

The second matter involved the International Peace Institute. Epstein introduced Bill Gates to the organisation in 2012, and the foundation later awarded IPI a grant after a 2013 presentation on polio eradication. The review said Gates knew Epstein had ties to IPI’s president. Al Jazeera also reported that the foundation is adding safeguards, including more centralised vetting of donors and partners, broader conflict-of-interest policies and improved training on sensitive records and information.

The findings land amid continued scrutiny of Epstein’s connections with prominent institutions and individuals. Al Jazeera noted that Warren Buffett recently said he would stop donating to the foundation after giving more than $47bn in Berkshire Hathaway stock since 2006. Gates also told a US House Oversight Committee hearing in June that meeting Epstein had been a serious error of judgment.