A newly released tranche of documents from the US Department of Justice reveals a $5,000 donation from Jeffrey Epstein's foundation, Enhanced Education, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Benefit (the Met Gala) in 2014. The check was part of millions of pages made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
This discovery matters because it directly links Epstein's philanthropic network to one of the art world's most prominent and socially elite institutions. While Epstein was known to have moved in art world circles and served on the board of the New York Academy of Art, this is the first reported instance of a financial contribution to the Met Gala, raising further questions about the extent and nature of his ties to major cultural institutions.