WebProNews

It looks like everyone's favorite source for info about sci-fi characters, historical trivia, and other random stuff will be safe for a while longer.  The Wikimedia Foundation, which is the organization behind Wikipedia, has received a $500,000 grant.

The grant came from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Sue Gardner, Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation, was appropriately appreciative.  In a statement, she said, "The Hewlett Foundation's support comes at a critical time."

Gardner then continued, "We've just begun the planning that will help us identify how to maximize our impact around the world.  This support will help us to execute our priorities for the current year, and enable us to plan for the future."

So some interesting sort of overhaul or expansion might go forward as a result of the grant.  That would help explain why the Hewlett Foundation was interested in Wikimedia the first place, since the Foundation's supposed to "solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world."

Meanwhile, Google Knol, which might be viewed as a better-funded-but-less-popular competitor, is still putting along, having received a sort of nod from the chairman and cofounder of the Public Library of Science just yesterday.