The Gates Foundation, the nation’s largest charity, has ended its partnership with Arabella Advisors, a consulting firm tied to Democratic causes.
The move, described as a routine business decision, has unsettled left-leaning groups that depend on Gates’ funding, The New York Times reported. In June, the Gates Foundation informed staff overseeing grants that it will shift to working directly with recipients, rather than through Arabella.
“Teams are increasingly working directly with programmatic partners — organizations that are deeply embedded in the communities we serve and closely aligned with our mission,” the note said, according to the Times. “As we look ahead, this is a chance to build deeper, more durable relationships with those partners — and to reinforce the kind of legacy we want to leave behind.”
Arabella will face major losses as the Gates Foundation has funneled nearly $500 million to its network over 16 years. The firm oversees hundreds of left-leaning activist and “dark money” groups backed by financiers like George Soros—and until now, Gates.
Conservatives have long criticized Arabella for its political ties, and in 2023, a watchdog group accused four of its affiliates of diverting funds to benefit founder Eric Kessler, a Democrat donor. The Gates Foundation’s break with Arabella comes as the Trump administration targets leftist funding networks, such as ActBlue.
BREAKING: NYTIMES today reports Gates Foundation pulling back hundreds of millions from notorious Arabella Advisers. The story discloses what the Left media has hidden for many years: that Arabella essentially runs nearly 200 non-profits as a fiscal sponsor. This is a scheme to…
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) August 26, 2025
Notably, the decision to cut ties with Arabella also comes after the Microsoft co-founder met with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. According to a spokesperson for Gates, their scheduled discussion focused on “the importance of US global health programs and health research that is necessary to save lives, protect Americans’ health, and preserve US leadership in the world.”
Earlier this month, the Gates Foundation announced a commitment of $2.5 billion by 2030 to address neglected areas of women’s health research and development globally.
