Warren Buffett will match a $9 million winning auction bid twice over — once for each of the two charities involved — bringing the total donation from the weeklong eBay fundraiser to about $27 million, according to Reuters.
The auction, called A Seat at the Table, closed Thursday with a winning bid of $9,000,100, according to CNBC. The winner's identity was not immediately available. The winning bidder and up to seven guests will join Buffett, NBA star Stephen Curry, and Stephen Curry's wife Ayesha Curry for lunch on June 24 in Omaha, Nebraska, according to the auction organizers.
The two benefiting organizations are GLIDE and Eat. Learn. Play. — GLIDE operates out of San Francisco's Tenderloin district and provides services to residents facing poverty, homelessness, and addiction, while Eat. Learn. Play., established by the Currys, directs its work toward food access, reading skills, and physical wellness for young people.
The event has roots in a philanthropic tradition Buffett sustained for more than two decades: annual lunch auctions that collectively generated roughly $53.2 million for GLIDE through 21 separate events. A single 2022 bid of $19 million set a record as the highest amount ever paid in an eBay charity auction, according to eBay. The 2026 auction marks the first time Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry have joined Buffett in such an event.
"Over the years, I've seen how the business community and innovative nonprofits can work together to create real change," Buffett said in a statement. "Partnering with Stephen and Ayesha to help launch something new in support of these communities is something I'm very happy to be part of."
A four-time NBA champion and two-time Most Valuable Player, Stephen Curry is one of the league's most decorated guards, currently with the Golden State Warriors. His wife Ayesha is a cookbook author and entrepreneur.
"We've always believed that access can open doors, but what matters most is what you do with it," Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry said in a statement. "With this incredible auction, we are excited to turn this moment into real impact for students and families throughout the Bay Area community."
At 95, Buffett chairs Berkshire Hathaway $BRK.B, according to CNBC. Forbes puts his net worth at roughly $143.5 billion, the bulk of which he has pledged to hand over to a charitable trust that his three children will oversee.