Bill Gates pays $8 Billion to ex-wife Melinda Gates as part of Divorce Settlement.

By Michael Ehindero

Bill Gates transferred $7.9 billion to a nonprofit led by Melinda French Gates in late 2024, according to a recent tax filing, the New York Times revealed.

The move forms part of an agreement reached last year, in which Gates pledged $12.5 billion to support French Gates’ philanthropic efforts after the former couple opted to stop collaborating through the Gates Foundation.


Gates and French Gates, whose 27-year marriage ended in 2021 in what remains one of the most expensive divorces in history, have continued to reshape their philanthropic legacies independently. Following the split, French Gates received roughly $76 billion in assets.


Before the transfer was disclosed, Gates, now 70, held an estimated net worth of $118 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. French Gates, 61, is currently valued at about $17.7 billion.


The funds were directed to Pivotal Philanthropies, a tax-exempt nonprofit launched in 2022. It sits within French Gates’ broader network, Pivotal Ventures, an investment and advocacy platform focused on accelerating gender equality and expanding opportunities for women worldwide.


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