The WordPress Foundation has released its 2025 financial report, reporting higher revenue and a 27% increase in attendance across WordCamps and community events, while its subsidiary, WordPress Community Support, posted a $372,088 operating deficit. The organization also warned that ongoing legal action by WP Engine threatens its ability to continue supporting scholarships, education programs, and community events.
Community events expand as attendance climbs 27%
In 2025, the WordPress Foundation and WordPress Community Support (WPCS), supported 99 community events across 35 countries, up from 79 events in 2024.
The total included 55 WordCamps, down slightly from 56 the previous year, 17 WordPress Campus Connect events launched in 2025, and 27 other community events, up from 16 in 2024. No do_action events were held during the year, compared with seven in 2024.
Although the number of WordCamps remained largely unchanged and meetup activity declined, attendance continued to grow. Attendance across WordCamps and other community events increased to 27,614 in 2025, which is 27% more compared with 21,799 the previous year.
Volunteers organized 3,057 meetup events across 69 countries and nearly 500 cities, down from 3,780 meetups in 2024. Only two WordCamps were held in the United States during 2025, compared with six the previous year, while events outside the U.S. increased from 73 to 96.
India recorded the highest attendance with 6,873 attendees, followed by Spain (2,343), the Philippines (2,236), and Switzerland (2,096).
Foundation revenue rises as expenses decline
The WordPress Foundation generated $93,131 in revenue during 2025, up from $57,163 in 2024. General donations contributed $47,131, while another $46,000 came from contributions to the newly established Open Horizons Scholarship Fund.
At the same time, expenses fell from $121,957 in 2024 to $88,526. The WordPress Foundation noted that the previous year’s expenses included a one-time $100,000 charitable contribution to the Internet Archive, while 2025 did not include a comparable donation.
Legal and professional fees accounted for the Foundation’s largest expense at $46,941, followed by Open Horizons Scholarship disbursements ($18,560), dues and subscriptions ($12,895), and Kim Parsell Scholarship expenses ($5,156).
With revenue being more than expenses, the Foundation reported a surplus of $4,605, reversing the $64,795 deficit recorded in 2024. It also highlights the launch of the Open Horizons Scholarship Fund, which raised $46,000 and distributed $18,560 during its first year.
WPCS posts operating deficit as expenses outpace revenue
WPCS generated $4,241,714 in operating revenue during 2025, down from $4,525,026 in 2024. Sponsorships remained the organization’s primary source of income, contributing $3,794,359, or 89% of operating revenue, while ticket sales accounted for the remaining $447,355, or 11%.
Operating expenses increased to $4,614,456 from $4,174,214 in 2024. As a result, WPCS reported an operating deficit of $372,088, compared with an operating surplus of $350,812 the previous year.
WordCamp expenditures reached $4,265,461, up from $3,799,699 in 2024 and accounting for 92% of operating expenses. Meetup expenditures declined slightly to $204,034 from $221,300, including $193,599 in Meetup.com dues and $10,435 for venue rentals and other meetup-related costs. Operations expenses also declined slightly to $144,962 from $153,215.
Karen Alma (Head of Operations and Events for the WordPress Project at Automattic) announced recently that they are working toward replacing Meetup.com with GatherPress, an open-source event platform, in an effort to reduce costs and better support community event organizers.
Venue rental remained WPCS’s largest individual expense category at $1,080,199, down from $1,297,548 in 2024, followed by food and beverage costs of $1,030,018, compared with $1,277,891 the previous year. Together, the two categories accounted for nearly half of the organization’s operating expenses.
Other major expenses included $636,595 for logistics assistance, $384,258 for audiovisual services, $203,313 for after-party events, and $188,609 in taxes. Other notable expenses included swag ($176,221), signage, badges and printing ($149,224), videography ($72,332), dues and subscriptions ($51,736), bank charges and merchant fees ($40,048), insurance ($33,041), and $24,725 in legal and professional fees for the annual financial audit.
The report states that WPCS drew on reserves during the year to continue supporting community events at scale.
In-kind contributions exceed $2 million
In addition to its operating revenue, WPCS recognized $2,629,992 in donated, or in-kind, salary services during 2025.
Under generally accepted accounting principles, contributed services that meet recognition criteria are recorded as both contribution revenue and an equal offsetting expense. The Foundation noted that because the contribution and the related expense are identical, the in-kind donation had no effect on net income.
Including the in-kind contributions, WordPress Community Support reported total revenue of $6,871,706 and total expenses of $7,244,448.