Google gives big cheque to Wikipedia

Google has given Wikipedia's non-profit foundation US$2m (NZ$2.85m).

SAN FRANCISCO - Google is giving $2 million (NZ$2.85m) to the foundation that runs Wikipedia, matching the largest donation ever made to the popular internet encyclopaedia.

The grant catapulted the Wikimedia Foundation beyond its $10.6 million revenue target for the fiscal year ending in June, a spokesman said.

Google made its grant six months after Wikimedia got a $2 million donation from the investment arm of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

The non-profit Wikimedia has received donations from more than 240,000 people so far this fiscal year, primarily in small amounts from Wikipedia's users and unpaid contributors.

The internet encyclopaedia consists of more than 14 million entries written by volunteers in more than 270 languages.

- AP