Keep an eye on Sergey Brin’s Wikipedia page. It might just get a more positive spin soon.
The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that runs Wikipedia, announced Friday that it had received a $500,000 grant from Mr. Brin, the Google co-founder, and his wife, Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of the online genetics firm 23andMe.

The grant was awarded through the Brin Wojcicki Foundation, a charitable foundation started by the couple, whose collective wealth is in the billions of dollars.

In a statement released by the Wikimedia Foundation, Sue Gardner, its executive director, praised Mr. Brin and Ms. Wojcicki, saying that their donation would send a signal to others who might be thinking of giving to the site.

“This is how Wikipedia works: people use it, they like it, and so they help pay for it, to keep it freely available for themselves and for everyone around the world. I am very grateful to Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki for supporting what we do,” Ms. Gardner said.

Google and Wikipedia haven’t always been friends. In 2007 Google introduced a service called Knol, which was seen by many as a Wikipedia competitor. There were concerns at the time that Google would highlight Knol rankings in its search results, pushing Wikipedia aside. But Knol didn’t fare well online and has grown slowly.

The Wikimedia Foundation began its eighth annual fundraising event earlier in the week. The group said it raised $1.2 million during the first day.

The Brin Wojcicki Foundation has previously donated money to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is researching a cure for Parkinson’s disease, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group.