Wikimedia is contributing a lot of time and resources to other Open/Commons projects as well, at least in Germany: Open Education, Open Science, Open Glam, Open Access, Open Government etc. They also invest in advocacy (lobbying for more Open Culture, Open Access etc), which is an important voice in the political process, since most grassroots initiatives can not sustain this kind of work for a long time. I don't see the expenses as necessary for the upkeep of Wikipedia alone, but as an investment to keep the ecosystem of Open Source/Open Access alive and growing, which benefits Wikipedia as well. While I think it is important to question the distribution of Wikimedia support for projects in the Commons (they probably could do more funding, e.g. a prototype fund) , having a strong institution to foster digital participation and Open Society is vital.