Wikimedia Foundation

You may know Wikipedia as a massive, free encyclopedia of articles, but where does the wider Wikimedia movement organize itself? The answer is Meta‑Wiki, a website dedicated to coordination, documentation, and planning across Wikipedia and its sister projects. It hosts policies, guidelines, grant applications, proposals for new initiatives, event pages, and global announcements. Volunteers use Meta‑Wiki to discuss cross‑project issues, vote on changes, share learning patterns, and collaborate on international events like Wikimania. The site supports translation so that important discussions can reach as many communities as possible. Understanding Meta‑Wiki opens the door to participating in governance, helping shape the future of open knowledge beyond writing articles. To start, log in with your existing Wikimedia account, explore pages such as "Community portal" or "Request for comment", and read the guidelines before contributing. You can propose an idea, request funding, or join existing tasks such as translating documentation. Visit the hub of the Wikimedia movement ➡️ https://w.wiki/37o

A small edit led to a mission to map a nation. N'da N'dri Konan, also known as User:Dadrik, first logged in to Wikipedia to correct a few lines about his university in Côte d’Ivoire. He quickly noticed that many articles about his country were empty or outdated. Within a year, he had made more than 19,000 edits, created dozens of new articles, and become a patroller on French Wikipedia. As a member of the Wikimedia Côte d’Ivoire community, he organizes edit‑a‑thons, trains newcomers, and advocates for reliable sourcing. He hopes to build a comprehensive repository covering Ivorian history, culture, science, and geography so that future readers can find accurate information about their home. Outside of the Wikimedia movement, Dadrik has a passion for astrophysics, illustrating that curiosity can take many forms. His advice to aspiring Wikipedia editors: start with what you know, ask for help, and remember that every contribution – no matter how small – helps expand free knowledge for everyone. Dadrik's curiosity and commitment to knowledge reflect the very spirit of the Wikimedia movement. For this, he was recognized as the 2025 Newcomer of The Year.

Here's the truth about how Wikipedia spends donor money ⬇️ As the only one of the world’s 10 most-visited websites hosted by a nonprofit, Wikipedia uses reader support to ensure that billions of people can continue accessing free knowledge. In 2024, a new data center in Brazil improved access for readers and strengthened our global network’s resilience. This is just one example of how your donations make Wikipedia better. 45% of the Wikimedia Foundation's annual budget is spent on technology. This includes server hosting, security, and engineering work that keeps Wikipedia fast, stable, and available everywhere. It also funds improvements that make editing easier across languages – such as the content translation tool, which has helped volunteers create more than 2.4 million articles in over 300 languages. Another 32% of the annual budget goes toward supporting volunteers – the people who write, edit, review, fact-check, translate, and monitor every article. This includes building editing tools, providing anti-vandalism systems, offering grants that help local communities grow, and more. In one recent year, the Foundation awarded more than USD 18 million in grants to 417 groups advancing free knowledge, including support for projects that improve medical and educational content. About 12% of spending covers general operations, including legal work, human resources, finance, and global administration. Another 11% supports fundraising and donor services, including multilingual support for readers in more than 25 languages. The Wikimedia Foundation is consistently recognized as a top-rated, transparent charity. And the details about its support for Wikipedia are all public. See your donations at work ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d2g3VZyQ #Wikipedia25

The right to seek, receive, and share information is enshrined in international law. Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to participate in cultural life and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits, while also respecting the moral and material interests of creators. Access to knowledge underpins justice, freedom, and economic development. Around the world, volunteers on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects work to make information available in multiple languages and formats, removing paywalls and barriers that keep people from learning. On International Human Rights Day, we reflect on the role open knowledge plays in advancing equity and dignity. From documenting Indigenous traditions to translating medical articles into underserved languages, contributors help realize the promise that knowledge should be a common heritage. Supporting open licenses, local language projects, and digital access initiatives is part of honoring that right. Learn more about the intersection of rights and Wikimedia ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dmVchNyV

Meet Bernadette Meehan, the new CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation ⬇️ Meehan has extensive international leadership experience, policy expertise, a strong background in community engagement, and a commitment to mission-driven work that aligns closely with Wikimedia's vision of free knowledge for all. From 2022 to 2025, Meehan served as US Ambassador to Chile, where she was recognized for her expansive public engagement, open communication style, and diplomatic achievements – including advancement of major technology and scientific infrastructure initiatives like the Humboldt Cable and astronomical research projects. Prior to her ambassadorship, Meehan worked at the Obama Foundation, designing and leading international programs, and spent over a decade as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, with diplomatic assignments in Colombia, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. Meehan speaks Spanish and Arabic, and has served on advisory boards for Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and Hostage US. She will lead the Wikimedia Foundation's global staff and work closely with thousands of volunteer editors, affiliates, donors, and partners worldwide. She will join the Foundation on 20 January 2026. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dfVBCPfB

Licensing high-quality images for sports content can be costly. In an effort to make them more accessible, the Wikimedia Ghana User Group has uploaded over 3,900 high-quality photos from the 13th African Games to Wikimedia Commons. The collection, captured by volunteer photographers Justice Okai-Allottey (User:Owula kpakpo) and Gabriel Joe Amuzu (User:Amuzujoe), is also available as open stock photography for anyone to use freely. Featuring vivid moments from the games, their goal was to help bridge the content gap between the Olympics and other competitions compared to the African Games. To help journalists make the most of these resources, Wikimedia Ghana User Group also hosted a workshop with Ghana's Multimedia Group on how to browse and search for images on Wikimedia Commons and how to provide proper attribution under open licensing. Explore the groundbreaking collaboration ➡️ https://w.wiki/GKGY

As 2025 comes to a close, Wikimedia Brasil is looking back on their past achievements and preparing for the challenges to come. The organization's new strategy followed a development path that involved broad participation from the Brazilian community. Together, they defined three axes that will guide their actions and intentions for Wikimedia Brasil: Support collaborative practices in favor of free knowledge; Articulate strategic alliances in defense of digital public goods; Promote the wiki methodology for all Portuguese-speaking internet, going beyond the Wikimedia movement. Learn about the importance of strategic planning with Wikimedia Brasil ➡️ https://w.wiki/GKFa

On Wikipedia, differing viewpoints aren't an obstacle. They're a strength. Wikipedia embraces open debate. Volunteer editors care about getting the facts right following the platform's policies, whether they're arguing over pop culture trivia (like Kate Middleton's wedding dress) or deeply serious topics (like documenting COVID-19). No single editor has absolute power: debates happen publicly on talk pages, where everyone can weigh in, and decisions are guided by reliable sources rather than personal opinions. When discussions stall, editors launch a "Request for Comment", or RfC, inviting the broader Wikipedia community to contribute and push the article toward consensus. These practices ensure editor independence, invite diverse views, and prevent undue influence from any one person or organization. Even the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia, has no say in content disputes on Wikipedia. By channeling conflict into collaboration, Wikipedia shows what the internet can look like when people argue with purpose instead of outrage. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dECiWSni

She is behind the camera, but her impact is everywhere. Since joining the Wikimedia movement in 2010 after watching a talk by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Vera de Kok has uploaded more than 86,000 files to Wikimedia Commons – including over 7,500 original photographs from more than 4,000 locations. Her images document everything from heritage sites to cultural festivals and film premieres, and they appear in articles across 134 language editions. Known as User:1Veertje, she also uses her programming and metadata skills to organize tens of thousands of files, making them easier to find and reuse. She participates in hackathons and mentors new contributors. Outside the Wikimedia movement, 1Veertje advocates for disability rights and pursues dancing and language learning. 1Veertje's dedication exemplifies how one person can enrich our collective visual memory through both artistry and technical know‑how. For her incredible contributions to our movement, 1Veertje was honored as the 2025 Media Contributor of the Year.