Bill Gates has transferred nearly $8 billion to a charitable foundation controlled by his ex?wife, Melinda French Gates, in what is being described as one of the largest publicly disclosed philanthropic gifts in recent history.

The Microsoft co?founder’s contribution of $7.88 billion, made in 2024 and only recently revealed in tax filings, was channelled into the Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation, a charity led by Melinda French Gates. The foundation, established in 2022, focuses on advancing women’s rights, economic opportunities and social equity globally.

According to reports, the transfer forms part of a broader $12.5 billion agreement linked to the couple’s divorce settlement following their highly publicised split in 2021 after 27 years of marriage. Under that arrangement, Melinda French Gates stepped down from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2024 to pursue independent philanthropic work.

The $7.88 billion infusion appears in the 2024 tax documents as a donation to Pivotal Philanthropies.

The settlement has drawn attention not only for its size but also for the manner in which the former couple has divided their philanthropic efforts. Melinda French Gates’ organisation has sought to carve out a distinct identity focused on women, families and community empowerment, complementing but separate from the longstanding global health and development priorities of the Gates Foundation.

Bill Gates remains one of the world’s most prominent philanthropists. Separately from this transfer, he has pledged to give away the bulk of his remaining fortune over the coming decades, a commitment that would see the Gates Foundation investing billions more in public health and related causes before it winds down by 2045.