Philanthropy At Scale: The Legacy Gift Of Warren Buffett

This article is part of NDTV Profit's special series on Warren Buffett's investment guidelines, philosophy, top bets, and more, ahead of his retirement.

On Dec. 31, 2025, Warren Buffett will retire from Berkshire Hathaway, closing the final chapter of a six-decade run that quietly reshaped global capitalism. There will be no dramatic exit. No last trade. No ceremonial farewell beyond a brief filing and a familiar letter. But as Buffett steps away, what lingers is not just the wealth he created—it’s the unprecedented way he has chosen to give it back.

For most billionaires, philanthropy arrives as an epilogue. For Buffett, it has almost been a parallel career.

Buffett’s philanthropic journey formally began in 2006, when he pledged to donate the vast majority of his Berkshire fortune over time rather than after death. Every year, he would convert high-value Class A shares into more liquid Class B shares and donate them to a handful of foundations.

The reasoning? Let capital compound inside a strong business for as long as possible. Then give it away in a form that can be immediately deployed. No grand one-time bequest or locked-up endowment frozen in perpetuity.

Nearly two decades later, the scale is historic. By mid-2021, Buffett had donated about $44 billion. By mid-2024, that figure had crossed $57 billion. By the end of 2025, cumulative giving had exceeded $61 billion, making it one of the largest philanthropic commitments ever undertaken by a single individual.

The magnitude of Buffett’s approach crystallised in June 2025, when he donated roughly 12.36 million Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares, worth about $6 billion, in one year alone. The largest portion—nearly $4.6 billion—went to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The remainder was split across four family-run foundations.

Later that year, Buffett added another $1.3 billion in stock gifts, again channelled through family foundations. These were not symbolic transfers. By using liquid, publicly traded shares, Buffett ensured the funds could be converted into action—quickly, flexibly, and at scale.

Buffett’s philanthropy is notable for what it avoids: a single, all-powerful foundation bearing his name. Instead, it operates as a network.

The Gates Foundation handles global priorities—health, education, poverty reduction and technology access. The family foundations pursue more targeted missions. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation focuses on reproductive health and college scholarships.

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation addresses hunger, human trafficking and crisis response. The Sherwood Foundation invests in early childhood education and community development. The NoVo Foundation centres on women’s empowerment and social justice.

Perhaps the most consequential decision lies ahead. Buffett’s will directs 99.5% of his remaining wealth into a charitable trust managed by his children. They must decide unanimously how the funds are distributed—and must complete the process within ten years of his death.

Buffett has long explained it simply—he wants to leave his children "enough money so they can do anything, but not so much that they can do nothing."

Remarkably, Buffett’s generosity has not diluted his faith in Berkshire Hathaway. Even after nearly $61 billion in donations, he still owns roughly 13.8% of the company and has repeatedly said he will never sell his shares. The message? Philanthropy, in his view, is not a vote of no confidence in capitalism, but a logical conclusion.

As he retires on the final day of 2025, Buffett leaves behind more than a record of returns. He leaves a working blueprint—for how extraordinary wealth can be dismantled responsibly, without spectacle, and returned to society with the same discipline that created it.