Two Million for Wikimedia: Who Can Offer More?

Aug 27, 2009

Describing itself as a philanthropic investment company, the Omydar Network has donated two million dollars to the Wikimedia Foundation.

The money will flow over the next two years and will support Wikimedia's goal of promoting free access to collective knowledge and creating opportunities to further that knowledge. Besides the financial contribution, Omydar Network will also provide personnel resources. For example, Matt Halprin, leader of the Media and Transparency initiative at Omydar, will join the Board of Trustees at Wikimedia. The board belongs to the Foundation's highest committees and amongst other tasks, regulates the use of donations.

The Omydar Network is sprung from the same source as Ebay. Pierre Omydar- Iranian descent, born in Paris France and living in the US- founded the online auction house in 1995. The Omydar Network, that invests in both profit-oriented and social projects and firms, was created in 2004, "so that more and more people discover their own power to make good things happen." writes Omydar on his blog.

The Wikimedia Foundation has no grounds for complaint regarding its latest donations. The HP Foundation recently donated half a million dollar.
However: it doesn't have to be millions. In Germany for example, the Wikimedia Deutschland E.V. has a website listing all those who have made smaller donations.

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