Please reconsider donating to the WordPress Foundation

Over the past week, I’ve been working on this post about the WordPress Foundation and, coincidentally enough, the WordPress Foundation is back in the “news”, so to speak, with the announcement of the “Automattic Open Horizons Scholarship.” The announcement of that scholarship only bolsters my argument, and I’ve incorporated it into the below, where relevant.

Historically, the WordPress Foundation has been overlooked within the community, given its lack of involvement in the day-to-day management or oversight of anything WordPress-related. Yes, “WordPress” is in the name, but what actions does the WordPress Foundation take that affect the community? With the start of the war between Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine, the nature and involvement of the WordPress Foundation has finally been highlighted publicly, especially given its unique and, frankly, unusual setup. With the community now more aware of the WordPress Foundation’s involvement, or lack thereof, I think it’s important to look into the foundation in a bit more detail.

Atypically, I’d like to start with my conclusion: Do not donate to the WordPress Foundation.

A bold statement, perhaps, but as I’ll outline, donating to the WordPress Foundation is counter to the mission of the WordPress Foundation. If you believe in the WordPress Foundation’s mission, there are better organizations to donate to.

But first, what do I know about the WordPress Foundation or non-profits more generally?

My background with non-profits

While I previously worked at both Audrey Capital and Automattic, reporting directly to Matt Mullenweg, I was not involved with the inner workings of the WordPress Foundation.

That said, over my lifetime I’ve worked at or around numerous non-profits, ranging from churches (where I acted as treasurer and board member), the Seattle Art Museum (working in the finance department), and working for the Mozilla Corporation, a subsidiary of the non-profit Mozilla Foundation.

While my day job at Mozilla was Firefox-focused, in my spare time I also helped oversee the Camino web browser, a community-led Mac browser, which used Mozilla’s Gecko rendering engine. Camino was a trademark of the Mozilla Foundation, which legally oversaw the project, though all day-to-day oversight was in the hands of the community, myself included. (Sadly, the trademark has since been cancelled.)

Early in my career, I needed to understand how non-profits operate, investigating everything from operating structures to tax-exempt status within the United States.^[1] As I’m sure you can imagine, it’s a topic that comes up all the time at parties.

With that said, my overall understanding of non-profits, their finances, and their operation within the “open source software” ecosystem applies directly to the WordPress Foundation. Let’s take a look at where things stand today.

What is the WordPress Foundation?

On paper, the WordPress Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation that accepts donations in support of its mission which, as reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is “to ensure free access, in perpetuity, to the software projects we support.” Looking deeper, what do these things mean and why are they important?

The United States taxes individuals and corporations at the federal level, meaning every person and company has to pay money to the government each year. The Tax Reform Act of 1969 codified in law the idea of non-profit organizations with two distinct types: public charities and private foundations. The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 established Title 26 of the United States Code, effectively creating the concept of “501(c)3” organizations. The term “501(c)3” refers to the specific section within Title 26 that allows an organization to be tax-exempt. In fact, there are 30 other types of tax-exempt organizations allowed by the United States, but 501(c)3 is, by far, the most public and popular.

Being tax-exempt confers the benefits you’d expect: a corporation no longer must pay federal taxes.^[2] The WordPress Foundation was granted non-profit status under section 501(c)3 of Title 26, specifically as a “public charity.”

Within section 501(c)3, two types of non-profits are defined: public charities and private foundations. Public charities require direct donations from the public—the IRS has a specific “test” that companies must complete yearly, showing that at least 1/3 of their revenue comes from the public, that is, from donations. From the IRS directly:

Public charities generally receive a greater portion of their financial support from the general public or governmental units, and have greater interaction with the public.

In turn, private foundations are typically controlled by a small group of individuals—often a family—with their funding coming from that same group. Private foundations are subject to additional restrictions and could be taxed if they do not follow those restrictions.

It’s worth coming back to the 1/3 requirement in a later post, but for now note that the WordPress Foundation has almost exclusively been funded by donations from the public, typically members of the community.^[3]

Who is the WordPress Foundation?

The WordPress Foundation was started by Matt Mullenweg on May 31, 2006. Initially, it operated as a California nonprofit public benefit corporation, applying for federal tax-exempt status almost immediately, and being granted that status on June 12, 2009.^[4]

Because the WordPress Foundation has no employees, the only people associated with it directly are those that appear in tax filings. Over the years, multiple people have appeared on the WordPress Foundation’s tax filings. Historically, they include (in order by first appearance):

• Curtis Mo, a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale at Dorr, LLP, the legal firm that filed for the WordPress Foundation’s tax exempt status. Mo appeared as the Secretary for the WordPress Foundation in initial documents.
• Rose Goldman, Mullenweg’s long time chief of staff, who worked at Automattic but managed aspects of Audrey Capital and the WordPress Foundation. Goldman appeared initially as Secretary and eventually as CFO. After 2018, Goldman no longer appears.
• Andrea Middleton, a community lead at Automattic. Middleton appears as a record keeper for a few years.
• Jason Hoffman, an investor and technologist, Hoffman appears as a member of the board starting in 2014. In his LinkedIn profile, Hoffman says he was a member of the board from October 2006 through August 2016. As I noted previously, Hoffman was replaced on the board in 2016 by Chele Chiavacci Farley.^[5] In IRS filings, Hoffman does not appear as a member of the board prior to 2014. That appears to be incorrect information on his LinkedIn profile, though it’s a fairly glaring mistake.
• Julia Ullrich, Assistant Controller at Automattic appears as record keeper in 2018. She has since departed Automattic.
• Harmony Romo, a Financial Wrangler at Automattic appears as record keeper starting in 2019 through 2023, the most recent records available at this time.

The other two notable names are the current board members: Mark Ghosh (since 2014) and Chele Chiavacci Farley (since 2016). Fortunately, I previously covered the two of them, so I won’t cover them today.

What does the WordPress Foundation do?

The WordPress Foundation prominently outlines its mission on its website, as well as within its filings with the IRS. That mission, as legally reported to the IRS is:

To ensure free access, in perpetuity, to the software projects we support.

A longer version of the mission statement is available on the WordPress Foundation’s website, but the underlying point is clear: the software projects supported by the WordPress Foundation should remain free, forever.

That mission statement is generic enough that there are a plethora of ways to deliver against that mission. For example, in the past, the WordPress Foundation maintained direct oversight and control of WordCamps, promoting these events as a way to support the WordPress ecosystem and, in theory, ensure free access to the software in perpetuity. It’s arguable if events actually help with the mission—on its face, as long as the source code of WordPress is available for free, the mission is fulfilled. Flippantly, GitHub could be the sole way to meet the WordPress Foundation’s mission.

Today, the WordPress Foundation no longer directly manages WordPress events. These were spun out into a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2015, called WordPress Community Support PBC. WordCamp and meetup organizers are likely very familiar with the policies and procedures defined by that entity, and some may consider it part of the WordPress Foundation. In actuality, while it is currently wholly owned, it has no employees or paid staff, and anyone volunteering at WordCamps is, in fact, working for a taxable (or, “for-profit”) entity.^[6]

So what does the WordPress Foundation do today? In reviewing the WordPress Foundation’s financial statements and their online presence, I can only find three key activities of the WordPress Foundation in recent years.

Hackathons (do_action)

Beginning in 2014, charity hackathons called “do_action” (which I will stylize as Do_Action going forward)^[7] have been organized by the community. While the program started relatively small, it picked up speed and was eventually folded into the WordPress Community Team’s mandate, as well as the WordPress Foundation oversight.

Do_Action hackathons are relatively minor from a financial standpoint, but can create goodwill that furthers the mission of the WordPress Foundation, as well as teach new community members how to use WordPress which, in turn, helps grow the ecosystem. In some regards, every kind of WordPress event might be considered “educational” in nature, with that education being focused on the WordPress Foundation’s mission.

Scholarships to WordPress events

The longest standing WordPress-related activity is the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship.

As a relatively new member of the WordPress community, I was privileged enough to meet Kim online and in-person, back in 2013-2014. We are now a decade removed from her sudden passing, and the creation of the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship which, at its start, was funded by the WordPress Foundation. From the beginning, the scholarship truly felt like a way to both recognize Kim, and support what she believed in: the WordPress community.

More recently, on May 28, 2025, the WordPress Foundation announced a new scholarship, the “Automattic Open Horizons Scholarship.” It is quite common for non-profits to include the sponsor’s name within a scholarship or other contribution. At educational institutions, for example, you’ll often seen donor’s names within the context of their donation—the Harvard John A. Paulson School Of Engineering And Applied Sciences was re-named following a $400 million gift from John A. Paulson.

What’s less common is for a non-profit to announce the creation of a scholarship that does not seem to be directly overseen by the non-profit. Consider the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship, which includes details about the scholarship on its landing page. One of those details outlines the WordPress Foundation’s involvement: the scholarship is funded by the foundation. But, there are additional details which outline the guidelines of the scholarship. To my eyes, the Parsell Scholarship is a solid model for how to create and manage such scholarships.^[8]

Automattic’s scholarship, however, does not appear to be funded by the WordPress Foundation, nor otherwise managed by the WordPress Foundation. The announcement is light on details, but it appears to be marketing for an Automattic initiative—Automattic’s announcement does not even mention the WordPress Foundation.

The announcement from the WordPress Foundation is incredibly unusual. It appears to be “free” promotion for Automattic, which is typically not allowed under non-profit regulations.

If the WordPress Foundation frequently posted about community events, scholarships, and news, the announcement would be normal, part of their operating activities in an effort to support the mission of the WordPress Foundation. But that’s not the case. Or, if the WordPress Foundation had a set of corporate sponsors and, as part of that sponsorship, corporations were given certain promotional posts on the WordPress Foundation’s site, the announcement would be a matter of course, and fully expected. But that’s not the case.

I’m not entirely sure what to make of this new scholarship, but do not mistake it as a WordPress Foundation activity. The cynic in me wonders if this new scholarship is a small part of a public relations campaign.

Fund non-profits

Much of the WordPress Foundation’s funding in recent years has gone to… other non-profits.

In 2017, the WordPress Foundation donated funds to three non-profit endeavours, each receiving $15,000: Black Girls Code, Hack the Hood, and Internet Archive. Two years later, in 2019, the WordPress Foundation donated to both Black Girls Code and Internet Archive again, sending another $15,000 each. In 2022, the foundation donated $10,000 each, again to both Black Girls Code and Internet Archive. Fast forward to 2024, and the WordPress Foundation announced a donation of $100,000 to the Internet Archive.

To be clear, all three of these organizations are worthy non-profits, delivering against their respective missions.^[9] I personally use the Internet Archive every day, for this blog along with other research.

But, do any of these organizations further the mission of the WordPress Foundation? Are any of these organizations in some way helping to “ensure free access, in perpetuity,” to WordPress or other related projects? You could make a stretch argument that, by creating a new generation of programmers, Black Girls Code is somewhat furthering that mission, but that feels tangential, at best.

I would argue, as important as these organizations are, donations to them from the WordPress Foundation are a distraction, a way to publicly donate to causes without actually furthering the mission of the WordPress Foundation, perhaps as a way to build goodwill. Reader, if you believe in these organizations, please donate to them instead of the WordPress Foundation.

What does the WordPress Foundation actually do?

Every dollar donated to the WordPress Foundation must go toward its mission, per IRS regulations. When a person donates to the WordPress Foundation, they have an expectation that this is true, because this is how non-profits work in the United States. However, the bulk of the money donated to the WordPress Foundation has made its way to other organizations—worthy organizations, yes, but not ones ensuring free access to the software projects that are a part of the WordPress ecosystem.

But, if the WordPress Foundation doesn’t exist to support the WordPress community and ecosystem, what is its purpose?

My belief is that the WordPress Foundation was created as a trademark holding company, solely to house and protect the WordPress trademarks. While it quickly needed to adapt and support events, it spun that aspect out and returned to its role as a trademark holding company. One piece of evidence in support is a comment from then-WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy:

The WordPress Foundation is a not a governing body for the WordPress project, and was never meant to be. It’s [sic] initial work was to defend the trademark, and that has since expanded to include an open source education component.

That aligns with Mullenweg’s initial post about the transfer of the WordPress trademark from Automattic to the WordPress Foundation.^[10]

If the WordPress Foundation was established as, effectively, a caretaker organization for the trademark, why did the foundation immediately license its commercial rights back to Automattic? I’m optimistic that certain documents related to the licensing of the WordPress trademark will appear during the discovery process of the WP Engine v Automattic trial, but short of that, we may never truly know.

Regardless of initial intentions, the WordPress Foundation has evolved—first overseeing WordPress events and now adding an “educational” component—and it’s likely to change over the years, but only at the direction of the WordPress Foundation board. Meanwhile, the WordPress Foundation continues to own the WordPress trademarks, and have given an irrevocable commercial license to Automattic, and a non-commercial license (which may or may not be irrevocable) to Mullenweg himself.

As I think about what a real, mission-driven non-profit could do within the WordPress community and compare it to what the WordPress Foundation currently does, I’m disappointed, to say the least. Protecting a trademark is certainly not where I want my money to go.

What could a real WordPress Foundation accomplish?

A WordPress Foundation working to further its mission would be one that oversaw WordPress itself, as well as WordPress.org.^[11] With appropriate funding, support, and oversight, a true WordPress Foundation would reject the premise of a war with WP Engine, ending it in its tracks, as it runs counter to the mission of ensuring free access to the software, in perpetuity.

A real WordPress Foundation would protect the community and the trademarks, with clear guidance and direction. It would not allow one single individual to amass so much control and power—as Mullenweg has—to shut down access to its core services, as its message of free access runs counter to its mission. Instead, it would invite involvement from the community, encourage company sponsorship, and use that funding to further its mission. Yes, it may need to make certain legal maneuvers—like spinning out a for-profit to oversee events—to stay in compliance with US law, but such actions would be open and transparent for the community to see and never benefit a single person or company. And, perhaps most importantly, such decisions would be made with community involvement, and not at the whims of any one person or company.

The Drupal Association and Linux Foundation are both excellent examples of what’s possible when smart people work together to create an organization that furthers the goals of an open source community and software.

Final thoughts

In this post, I’ve outlined exactly what the WordPress Foundation does and does not do. From its own posts and financial statements, the WordPress Foundation has made it clear that it is not interested in furthering its own mission in a tangible way.

So, I end where I begin, with a plea: Do not donate to the WordPress Foundation.

If you are interested in supporting open source ecosystems, consider the Linux Foundation. If you just want to support WordPress, consider The WP Community Collective, or sponsoring an individual member of the community like Tammie Lister or Aaron Jorbin. Alternatively, if you believe in the missions of Black Girls Code and Internet Archive, by all means, donate to them! They can use your support.

But please, do not donate to the WordPress Foundation, as such donations do not benefit the WordPress ecosystem, nor further its mission.