The non-profit Wikimedia Foundation provides the essential infrastructure for free knowledge. We host Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world, as well as many other vital community projects. We welcome anyone who shares our vision to join us in collecting and sharing knowledge that fully represents human diversity.
We conduct our own research and partner with researchers worldwide to address change in society and technology.
From site reliability to machine learning, our open-source technology makes Wikipedia faster, more reliable, and more accessible worldwide.
We fight to protect everyone’s right to access free and open knowledge.
Collaborative projects are the core of the Wikimedia movement.
Our volunteers build tools, share photos, write articles, and are working to connect all the knowledge that exists.
Throughout history, knowledge has been controlled by a powerful few. Wikipedia needs knowledge from all languages and cultures. The internet has become the default for accessing information—women, people of color, and the global south remain underrepresented. We invite you to help correct history.
Join the movementYou made it. It is yours to use. For free. That means you can use it, adapt it, or share what you find on Wikimedia sites. Just do not write your own bio, or copy/paste it into your homework.
We do not sell your email address or any of your personal information to third parties. More information about our privacy practices are available at the Wikimedia Foundation privacy policy, donor privacy policy, and data retention guidelines.
Readers verify the facts. Articles are collaboratively created and edited by a community of volunteers using reliable sources, so no single person or company owns a Wikipedia article. The Wikimedia Foundation does not write or edit, but others can help.
The word “wiki” refers to a website built using collaborative editing software. Hundreds of organizations and projects with no affiliation with Wikipedia or the Wikimedia Foundation also use the term, including wikiHow and WikiEducator.
Wikimedia has nothing to do with Wikileaks and never did. Although both use the term “wiki” in their name, they have always been completely separate and unaffiliated.
As a nonprofit, Wikipedia and our related free knowledge projects are powered primarily through donations.
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Questions about the Wikimedia Foundation or our projects? Get in touch with our team.