Why Bill Gates gave $8B to his ex-wife Melinda
What's the story
Bill Gates's ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, has transformed her relatively new Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation into one of the biggest private foundations in the US. This comes after she received nearly $8 billion from Bill as part of their 2021 divorce settlement. The payout is one of the largest known divorce-related payments in history, and has significantly increased the scale and impact of French Gates's philanthropic work.
Financial impact
Gates's donation significantly boosts Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation
The tax filing, first reported by The New York Times's DealBook, revealed that Bill Gates donated $7.88 billion to French Gates's private foundation as part of their divorce settlement. The massive donation increased the assets of Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation by over 1,000%, from $604 million at the end of 2023 to some $7.4 billion in 2024. This dramatic growth has catapulted the foundation into America's largest private philanthropies league, coinciding with the formalization of their philanthropic split in May 2024.
Goals
Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation's mission and future plans
Founded in 2022, the Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation aims to "accelerate the pace of social progress for women and young people." The foundation's rapid growth has been fueled by Gates's donation, which is part of a larger $12.5 billion commitment French Gates said she would distribute under her "agreement with Bill." A spokesperson for Pivotal Philanthropies confirmed that the entire amount has now been distributed, with Gates's donation contributing to this total.
Philanthropy
French Gates's net worth and philanthropic stance
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, French Gates has a net worth of $17.7 billion. She has previously stated that billionaires like her "owe something back to society." Her rapid rise in philanthropy puts her in league with other high-profile post-divorce philanthropists such as MacKenzie Scott, who donated $7.2 billion in 2025 alone, and has given away $26 billion since 2020 after separating from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.