[Foundation-l] Omidyar Network Commits $2 Million Grant to Wikimedia Foundation

[Gregory Maxwell]

Omidyar Network Commits $2 Million Grant to Wikimedia Foundation


SAN FRANCISCO and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ --
Omidyar Network today announced a grant of up to $2 million over two
years to the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that
operates Wikipedia, one of the world's top 5 most visited websites.
The Wikimedia Foundation has also appointed Matt Halprin, a partner at
Omidyar Network, to its Board of Trustees.

The grant will support Wikimedia's key goals: to bring free
educational content to every person on the planet, to engage and
empower more people to author that content and to continually increase
the quality and breadth of the information provided through
Wikimedia's projects.

"We are very grateful for Omidyar Network's support. I am also
delighted to have Matt joining us," said Michael Snow, chair of the
Wikimedia Foundation Board. "His extensive experience with online
communities, trust, and reputation, will make him an excellent
addition to our Board. Matt also has a background in strategy
development, which will be particularly useful for us as we embark on
the collaborative strategy development project, Wikimedia's top
priority for the coming year."

"The Wikimedia Foundation is a critical player in the growing social
movement toward greater transparency and openness. I am honored to be
serving on the Foundation's board," said Matt Halprin, Partner,
Omidyar Network. "Wikipedia reaches and engages millions of people
every day, enabling information sharing in a collaborative, online
platform. Omidyar Network sees great potential in Wikipedia as it
continues to expand in emerging geographies, where this social impact
will be magnified even further."

Before joining Omidyar Network, Halprin was most recently Vice
President of Global Trust and Safety at eBay. Prior to eBay, Halprin
served as a Partner and Vice President at the Boston Consulting Group,
where he worked with technology clients on strategy issues.

In addition to direct financial support, Omidyar Network will dedicate
internal resources and engage its network to support Wikimedia's
strategic planning process, communications work, and recruiting.