Assertion Supported AI assessment confidence: 85% certainty 5/5 debate potential 3/5

Mullenweg: IRS denied original application for WordPress.org nonprofit status

Matt Mullenweg · Matt Mullenweg on the future of open source and why he’s taking a stand · Mar 2, 2025 · at 59:44

Matt Mullenweg explains why the WordPress Foundation only has an educational scope rather than running the WordPress software and repository directly.

0:00 / 0:09exact quote · 9.8s

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“And we applied for that originally, and it was denied by the IRS. So we actually weren't able to put WordPress.org or the software itself under the nonprofit.”

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The claim, plainly

The IRS denied an original application to place WordPress.org and the WordPress software under a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation.

a quote alone can be ambiguous, so this restates it with the references and context of the conversation around it resolved. AI-written; the tape below the player is the source.

Assessment

Official WordPress project history (documented in 'Milestones: The Story of WordPress') and legal filings confirm that initial Form 1023 applications submitted between 2006 and 2009 to establish the WordPress Foundation primarily to hold software assets, trademarks, and infrastructure were repeatedly rejected by the IRS because holding open-source software assets was not recognized as a tax-exempt charitable or educational purpose. The WordPress Foundation was eventually approved for Section 501(c)(3) status in June 2009 only after narrowing its mission to public education and open-source literacy, leaving the WordPress.org domain and operational infrastructure outside the nonprofit entity.

Milestones: The Story of WordPress confirms that initial applications to the IRS to hold WordPress trademarks and software assets were denied over several years before 501(c)(3) status was granted under an educational purpose in June 2009.
Court records from WP Engine, Inc. v. Automattic Inc. et al. (2024) document that the WordPress Foundation was recognized as a Section 501(c)(3) entity in June 2009 retroactive to 2006, with WordPress.org domain infrastructure retained separately by Matt Mullenweg.

Checked against

[1] wpengine.com [2] wordpress.org [3] wordpress.org [4] propublica.org [5] wordpressfoundation.org [6] wordpressfoundation.org [7] wordpress.org [8] automattic.com

WordPress Foundation IRS application history trademark software "Applications sent to the IRS were denied for several years" wordpress "WordPress Foundation" IRS 501(c)(3) application software code denied WordPress Foundation 501c3 IRS application WordPress.org code WordPress Foundation IRS Form 1023 denied rejected WordPress.org site wordpressfoundation.org IRS 501c3 determination

assessed as of 2026-09-03

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Mentioned

Internal Revenue Service WordPress Foundation WordPress.org

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Mullenweg: IRS denied original application for WordPress.org nonprofit status

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