Wordpress Foundation  ## Metadata - Author: [[Andrea Suozzo]] - Full Title: Wordpress Foundation - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #nonprofits - #irs990 - #wordpress - #openSource - #governance - #transparency - #funding - #compliance - #data - #propublica Author: Andrea Suozzo Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer Reference: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/205498932 date created: 2025-08-21 00:00 --- # Title: WordPress Foundation — ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer Profile ## Table of Contents: - [📌 Overview](#-overview) - [📊 About the Data](#-about-the-data) - [🏢 Which Organizations Are Included](#-which-organizations-are-included) - [📂 Get the Data](#-get-the-data) - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items (Alignment with Advocacy, OSPO, and Education)](#-action-items-alignment-with-advocacy-ospo-and-education) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### References: - ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer entry for WordPress Foundation: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/205498932 - IRS Form 990 program overview: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/form-990-resources-and-tools - Federal Audit Clearinghouse: https://www.fac.gov/ ## 📝 Summary: This ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer entry aggregates IRS Form 990-derived data for the WordPress Foundation, offering high-level financial trends, links to filings, and context on how the data is sourced. It explains what filings are included (Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF), which organizations appear in the database, and where to obtain raw and structured data, PDFs, and XML versions of filings. It’s a transparency resource that helps stakeholders evaluate nonprofit finances, governance, and compliance over time. ## 📖 Main Content: - Overview - The page presents summary charts of organization finances over time (2011–2022). It visualizes broad revenue/expense trends to quickly gauge scale and changes. - It serves as a launchpad to primary documentation (PDFs/XML) for auditability. - About the Data - Summary data stems from IRS processing years 2012–2019, generally covering FY 2011–2018, with updates and links to full filings. - The entry emphasizes that summary data is a subset; full details reside in complete Form 990s. - Scope of Organizations - It includes entities across 501(c) subsections that file 990/990-EZ/990-PF. - Very small organizations (<$50k) filing the 990-N e-Postcard are not included. - Get the Data - Provides paths to raw structured datasets, organization profiles, Form 990 PDFs (bulk downloads), XML e-filed data, and audits for orgs with ≥$750k in federal grants (from FY 2015+). - Relevance - For open-source foundations like WordPress Foundation, this enables accountability, external research, and donor due diligence. ### 🗒️ Notes - Financial Trends (2011–2022) - High-level charts indicate revenue/expense magnitudes in the millions range buckets. - Useful for spotting step-changes (e.g., large donations, event years). - About This Data - Summary fields vs. full detail: XML filings include officer names, schedules, grants. - Period coverage may lag; cross-check with latest filing year. - Inclusion Criteria - Filing thresholds: - < $50k: 990-N e-Postcard (not included here). - < $200k revenue and < $500k assets: 990-EZ. - Otherwise: full 990. - Data Access - Raw filing data allows structured comparisons across time/orgs. - EIN join keys enable merging profiles to financials. - XML provides machine-readable depth for reproducible analysis. - Federal Audit Clearinghouse adds audit PDFs for qualifying grantees. ## 📖 References: - ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/ - WordPress Foundation entry: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/205498932 - IRS bulk data (990 XML via IRS and AWS historical): https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/form-990-series-downloads - Federal Audit Clearinghouse: https://www.fac.gov/ ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1) Original idea: The summary dataset is limited and corresponds to IRS-processed years, while full details come from the complete Form 990s. Paraphrase: The on-page summaries cover only select fields from filings the IRS processed mainly between 2012 and 2019, roughly mapping to fiscal years 2011–2018. For granular information—like schedules, officer details, and full financial lines—you need the full 990 documents. 2) Original idea: The database includes 501(c) organizations that file 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF, but excludes 990-N filers. Paraphrase: This resource lists tax-exempt groups that submit a standard Form 990, the shorter 990-EZ, or the private foundation return 990-PF. Very small organizations that only submit the 990-N “e-Postcard” aren’t represented. ## 📰 Newsletter: A quick lap around the WordPress galaxy! This week we’re spotlighting nonprofit transparency and what it means for open source. The WordPress Foundation’s public filings are now easier than ever to browse via ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer, with trends and links to full Form 990s for deep dives. If you’re learning web development, think of this as your git log for governance—commits and diffs you can actually audit. Also in the mix: recent core updates, community highlights from meetups and contributor days, and a few shiny new plugins to streamline workflows. Bonus points if you peek at the machine-readable 990 XML—yes, that’s data you can chart. Explore the foundation’s profile on ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer: WordPress Foundation on ProPublica. Curious about the filings themselves? Check the IRS resources on Form 990s for the full breakdown. Got a favorite plugin launch or a community win? Hit reply—we love shipping shout-outs as much as shipping code. Links: - WordPress Foundation profile (financial trends + filings): https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/205498932 - IRS Form 990 overview: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/form-990-resources-and-tools ## ✅ Action Items (Alignment with Advocacy, OSPO, and Education): Prompt to use with future articles: “Analyze how this article informs open-source nonprofit governance, contributor engagement, and sustainable funding within the WordPress ecosystem. Map explicit connections to: - Transparency: Identify data sources (e.g., Form 990, audits) and how they support accountability and public trust. - Funding Models: Extract insights on diversified revenue, grants, and expense structures that impact community programs and contributor support. - Contributor Experience: Note opportunities for onboarding, mentorship, and recognition tied to nonprofit operations. - OSPO Readiness: Outline policy, compliance, and reporting practices that would translate into an OSPO playbook (licensing stewardship, risk, metrics). - Education: Propose curricula, workshops, and documentation derived from the article’s content for PHP/JS/HTML/CSS/Git education and governance literacy. - Inclusivity & Equity: Evaluate whether practices address equitable access, DEIB goals, and sustainability for underrepresented contributors. - Metrics: Recommend measurable KPIs (e.g., funding-to-program ratio, contributor retention, governance response times) and how to instrument them with public data.” How this article aligns: - Transparency: Centralizes access to WordPress Foundation filings and audits. - Contributor Engagement: Enables community scrutiny and informed participation in governance. - Sustainable Funding: Historical financials help assess reserves, program spend, and stability. - OSPO Direction: Demonstrates repeatable compliance/reporting workflows applicable to an OSPO. - Education: Real-world dataset for tea - Summary: Since 2013, the IRS has released data culled from millions of nonprofit tax filings. Use this database to find organizations and see details like their executive compensation, revenue and expenses, as well as download tax filings going back as far as 2001. - URL: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/205498932 #### Organization summary ##### Type of Nonprofit **Designated as a 501(c)(3)** **Category**: Education N.E.C. [(NTEE)](https://nccs.urban.org/search?keywords=NTEE) **Donations to this organization are tax deductible.** ##### Summary charts: organization finances over time 20112022 $0$2M$4M 20112022 $0$2M$4M 20112022 $0$1M$2M 20112022 $0$100k$200k Source: Form 990 tax filings from 2011 to 2022 #### Tax Filings by Year **[Form 990](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f990.pdf)** is an information return that most organizations claiming federal tax-exempt status must file yearly with the IRS. ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chele Chiavacci Farley (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Mark Ghosh (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Matt Mullenweg (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | ###### Document Links ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chele Chiavacci Farley (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Mark Ghosh (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Matt Mullenweg (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | ###### Document Links ###### 990 Primary tax return for a nonprofit’s activities, finances, and governance ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chele Chiavacci Farley (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Mark Ghosh (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Matt Mullenweg (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | ###### Document Links ###### 990 Primary tax return for a nonprofit’s activities, finances, and governance ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chele Chiavacci Farley (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Mark Ghosh (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Matt Mullenweg (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | ###### Document Links ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chele Chiavacci Farley (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Mark Ghosh (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Matt Mullenweg (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | + View more people ###### Document Links ###### 990 Primary tax return for a nonprofit’s activities, finances, and governance ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chele Chiavacci Farley (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Mark Ghosh (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Matt Mullenweg (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | + View more people ###### Document Links ###### 990 Primary tax return for a nonprofit’s activities, finances, and governance ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chele Chiavacci Farley (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Mark Ghosh (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Matt Mullenweg (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | + View more people ###### Document Links ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jason Hoffman (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Mark Ghosh (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Matt Mullenweg (Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | + View more people ###### Document Links ###### 990 Primary tax return for a nonprofit’s activities, finances, and governance ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jason Hoffman (Board Of Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Mark Ghosh (Board Of Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Matt Mullenweg (Board Of Director) | $0 | $0 | $0 | + View more people ###### Document Links ###### Extracted Financial Data | Key Employees and Officers | Compensation | Related | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Matthew Mullenweg (President, Treasurer) | $0 | $0 | $0 | | Rose Goldman (Secretary) | $0 | $0 | $0 | ###### Document Links ###### 990 Primary tax return for a nonprofit’s activities, finances, and governance ###### Extracted Financial Data ###### Document Links ###### 990 Primary tax return for a nonprofit’s activities, finances, and governance ###### Extracted Financial Data ###### Document Links ###### 990-EZ Short form tax return for a nonprofit’s activities, finances, and governance #### About This Data Nonprofit Explorer includes summary data for nonprofit tax returns and full Form 990 documents, in both PDF and digital formats. The summary data contains information processed by the IRS during the 2012-2019 calendar years; this generally consists of filings for the 2011-2018 fiscal years, but may include older records. This data release includes only a subset of what can be found in the full Form 990s. In addition to the raw summary data, we link to PDFs and digital copies of full Form 990 documents wherever possible. This consists of separate releases by the IRS of Form 990 documents processed by the agency, which we update regularly. We also link to copies of audits nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year since 2016. These audits are copied from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse. ##### Which Organizations Are Here? Every organization that has been recognized as tax exempt by the IRS has to file Form 990 every year, unless they make less than $200,000 in revenue and have less than $500,000 in assets, in which case they have to file form 990-EZ. Organizations making less than $50,000 don’t have to file either form but do have to let the IRS they’re still in business via a [Form 990N "e-Postcard."](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/annual-electronic-filing-requirement-for-small-exempt-organizations-form-990-n-e-postcard) Nonprofit Explorer has organizations claiming tax exemption in each of the 27 subsections of the 501(c) section of the tax code, and which have filed a Form 990, Form 990EZ or Form 990PF. Taxable trusts and private foundations that are required to file a form 990PF are also included. Small organizations filing a Form 990N "e-Postcard" are not included in this data. ##### Types of Nonprofits There are 27 nonprofit designations based on the numbered subsections of section 501(c) of the tax code. [See the list »](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/ctypes) ##### Get the Data For those interested in acquiring the original data from the source, here’s where our data comes from: * [Raw filing data](https://www.irs.gov/uac/soi-tax-stats-annual-extract-of-tax-exempt-organization-financial-data). Includes EINs and summary financials as structured data. * [Exempt Organization profiles](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organizations-business-master-file-extract-eo-bmf). Includes organization names, addresses, etc. You can merge this with the raw filing data using EIN numbers. * [Form 990 documents](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/form-990-series-downloads). Prior to 2017, these documents were obtained and processed by [Public.Resource.org](https://public.resource.org/) and ProPublica. Bulk PDF downloads since 2017 are available from [the IRS](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/form-990-series-downloads). * [Form 990 documents as XML files](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/form-990-series-downloads). Includes complete filing data (financial details, names of officers, tax schedules, etc.) in machine-readable format. Only available for electronically filed documents. Electronic data released prior to October 2021 is also available [through Amazon Web Services.](https://registry.opendata.aws/irs990/) * [Audits](https://harvester.census.gov/facdissem/Main.aspx). PDFs of single or program-specific audits for nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year. Available for fiscal year 2015 and later., Wordpress Foundation, Andrea Suozzo, 01j92jzbszczhd5j211y19fdm6.