2022 – 2023 Annual Report – Wikimedia Endowment

2022 – 2023 Annual Report – Wikimedia Endowment
Annual Report 2022-2023
Knowledge is human
President’s Message
“The human-curated, human-verified knowledge that Wikipedia provides is more important than ever”
Lisa Seitz Gruwell
President of the Wikimedia Endowment
Since its founding in 2001, Wikipedia has grown into the largest collection of human knowledge in history. Wikipedia is invaluable, and we are steadfast in our commitment to ensuring its future.
Every day, thousands of volunteers around the world dedicate their time and effort to create a vast repository of freely accessible, neutral, and reliable information.  They work in over 300 languages and have written over 63 million articles on Wikipedia that are read 15 billion times every month.
At the heart of sustaining Wikipedia lies the Wikimedia Endowment. Access to knowledge is a fundamental human right, and the Wikimedia Endowment’s mission is to provide enduring support for Wikipedia and related Wikimedia projects, ensuring their vitality for years to come.
Over the last few years, we have seen a rapid change in the way people are consuming knowledge on the internet and through their devices. This is accompanied by an accelerated increase in misinformation both through unverified AI-generated content and deliberate efforts to deceive by bad actors. The human-curated, human-verified knowledge that Wikipedia provides is more important than ever.
We believe that technology that is harnessed in the right way can make Wikipedia editors more efficient, help make the encyclopedia even more accurate, and deliver Wikipedia to more people in more languages.  However, technology is not a replacement for the complex human judgment our editors provide when writing Wikipedia.
Knowledge is human
Throughout this Annual Report, you will discover stories of the impactful projects funded by the Endowment, the generous donors and board members who support our mission, and the talented people who work tirelessly to innovate the technology behind the Wikimedia projects.
As we celebrate another year of collaboration, impact, and progress, I want to thank all members of our community—donors, editors, readers—for your support. Together, we are helping to ensure the world has access to high quality encyclopedic knowledge for generations to come.
With gratitude,
Lisa Seitz Gruwell
President, Wikimedia Endowment
Photo
by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
Table of Contents
Table of contents
President's message
Stories
Wikimedia Community
Financial Accountability
Leadership
Donors
Wikimedia Foundation
Share
President’s message
Stories
Wikimedia Community
Financial Accountability
Leadership
Donors
Wikimedia Foundation
Share
Photo
by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
Stories
A year of progress that’s visible and indelible
The Wikimedia Endowment supported projects and people that are making a sustained and significant difference across Wikimedia’s websites — and in the lives of users around the world.
Special milestone: Funding Wikipedia’s technological future
How the world receives information is rapidly changing. It is critical that the Wikimedia Foundation continues to evolve their technology to meet the world’s changing needs and seize opportunities to bring Wikipedia to more people in more languages. In a series of interviews with Endowment donors, we consistently heard a strong desire to use the Endowment to help Wikipedia not only remain relevant, but also thrive in a world of rapid technological innovation.
Knowledge seekers: Empowering offline access with Kiwix
While internet connectivity has become commonplace for many, billions of people around the world still face challenges accessing online resources due to cost, limited infrastructure, and censorship. Approximately 2.6 billion individuals — representing about 33% of the global population — remain offline, with significant disparities based on geographic and economic factors. There is a critical need for innovative solutions that bridge the digital divide between online and offline access to knowledge.
Dedicated donors: Lisa Lewin and strengthening the Wikimedia Endowment
“There used to be this old model of a professional life well-lived — which is you’d spend the first part of it learning, and then the second part of it earning, and then the third part of it serving,” says Wikimedia Endowment Board Member, Lisa Lewin. “That model has given way to one that  speaks more to the realities of all the opportunities and real challenges that we face in society — which is, you can’t actually have people with talent waiting until they retire to give it.”
Innovative projects: Making Wikipedia more expansive in languages around the world
In January 2001, Wikipedia made its debut with articles in English. However, everyone from founder Jimmy Wales to the initial volunteer editors aimed for it to rapidly become a multilingual repository of knowledge. Fast forward two decades, and Wikipedia now exists in 323 languages.
WIKIMEDIA COMMUNITY
A global tapestry of stories
Explore a dynamic map highlighting the experiences and contributions of Wikimedians worldwide.
Malayalam Wikipedia Administrator
Pharmacist Meenakshi’s Wikipedia journey
Trivandrum, India
Meenakshi, a pharmacist from Trivandrum, Kerala, India, is a prolific editor and administrator on Malayalam Wikipedia. Alongside managing a pharmaceutical shop, Meenakshi remains committed to enriching the digital landscape of knowledge. Since 2017, she’s been dedicated to bridging knowledge gaps.
Wikimedian of the Year 2021
On a mission to stop misinformation in Wikipedia
Gothenburg, Sweden
Netha Hussain is a doctor and Wikipedia editor, known for her efforts to tackle the spread of misinformation in Wikipedia about the origin of the COVID-19. She also is dedicated to writing articles on women’s health and, as a member of the WikiWomen’s User Group, improving gender diversity in the Wikimedia movement.
WikiWomen in Red Contributor
Weaving the web of Wikimedia
Los Angeles, United States
of America
Penny Richards is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Buffalo’s Center for Disability Studies. She contributes to the WikiProject Women in Red and enjoys connecting with people globally and delving into historical materials. Penny focuses on biographies and also contributes to WikiQuote, amplifying diverse voices with accurate sourcing.
Central Eastern European Wikimedia Community
“What does the widespread access to knowledge give us?”
Serbia
Sara Horvat might be a newcomer, but this student is already proving the importance of education work in Wikimedia. She is a Wikimedian from the Central Eastern European Community, and has collaborated with the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts to write articles about lesser-known Serbian scientists.
From article edits to civic power
The impact of Wikimedia UK’s information literacy work
United Kingdom
New digital technologies have altered the creation and consumption of media content, and introduced new challenges to democratic participation. Within this context, Wikimedia UK built a project to investigate how engaging with Wikimedia projects contributes to the strengthening of civil society and democratic processes in the UK.
1Lib1Ref Campaign
From local libraries, to global impact
Worldwide
The #1Lib1Ref campaign invites open knowledge enthusiasts, Wikimedians, book lovers, and library workers worldwide to come together and collaborate on verifying, increasing, and diversifying references on Wikipedia. This collective effort aims to enhance information accuracy, promote diversity in sources, and contribute to a more robust knowledge ecosystem online.
Reaffirming identity through Wikipeetia
The Wayúu Wikimedians are on a mission to preserve their culture
Venezuela and Colombia
The Wayúu people, residing in the north-western region of Venezuela and north-eastern Colombia within La Guajira, use Wikipeetia and Wikipütchimaajatü süka wayuunaiki in their native languages, to enrich information about their culture.
Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom
Improving media and information literacy skills of secondary school students in Nigeria
Nigeria
Improving the media and information literacy skills of secondary school students in Nigeria has made a big difference. Students grew more enthusiastic about contributing when they realized they could make a difference and leave their mark. They learned how to think critically by checking sources and editing history.
Wikimedian of the Year 2023
Bridging digital divides and inspiring others
Malaysia
At just 8 years old, Taufik Rosman found his love for sharing knowledge by editing a Wikipedia article about his school. Later, as a rural student librarian, he discovered Malay Wiktionary, sparking his transformative Wikimedia journey. His mission? To enhance Malay and Indigenous Malaysian languages and knowledge.
Wikimedia Laureate 2023
Amplifying women’s work in biodiversity and natural history
New Zealand
Siobhan Leachman dedicates herself to amplifying the voices of women, particularly in biodiversity and natural history. Her work across Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons has significantly enriched coverage of notable women in these fields and enhanced the representation of New Zealand biodiversity.
Newcomer of the Year
Amplifying the Wikimedian community from Japan
Japan
User:Eugene_Ormandy was named the 2023 Newcomer of the Year for capturing stories of inspiration and preserving community contributions. Inspired by a 2018 lecture, Eugene used his passion for editing Wikipedia to establish the Student Wikipedian Community at Waseda University Tokyo and a Wikipedian club in Japan.
Media Contributor of the Year
A champion for inclusivity on Wikimedia projects
San Francisco, United States
of America
Pax Ahimsa Gethen was named the 2023 Media Contributor of the Year for their unwavering dedication to promoting inclusivity and representation on Wikimedia platforms. Their advocacy work focuses on marginalized communities, particularly the LGBTIQ+ community.
Tech Contributor of the Year
Enhancing Wikimedia’s technical backbone
Global
User:Zabe was named the 2023 Tech Contributor of the Year for his invaluable contributions to Wikimedia’s technical infrastructure. Renowned for his expertise in deployments, bug fixes, and maintaining critical codes like Checkuser and CentralAuth, Zabe’s technical prowess has significantly improved the operation and user experience of Wikimedia projects.
Honorable Mention, Wikimedian of the Year
Nurturing open knowledge and community resilience
Ukraine
Anton Protsiuk, Programs Coordinator at Wikimedia Ukraine, received an Honorable Mention for his outstanding contributions. Beginning as a volunteer editor on Ukrainian Wikipedia in 2011, Anton has since made significant strides, including the creation of over 300 articles and critical maintenance work.
GLAM Training & Editathon in Bandung
Building capacity and preserving cultural heritage
Indonesia
OpenStreetMap Indonesia and Wikimedia Indonesia joined forces in 2022 to raise awareness about GLAM objects in Indonesia, particularly among youth. Their collaboration included a University Roadshow and a Flash Mapping Competition.
Innovating Knowledge Platforms
A journey in structured data and web collaboration
Germany
Denny Vrandečić has played a pivotal role in advancing knowledge bases, data mining, and web-based collaboration. As a project manager for Wikidata at Wikimedia Germany, he co-developed Semantic MediaWiki and laid the groundwork for Wikidata’s inception. He then worked on Google’s Knowledge Graph and as Google’s Wikimedian in Residence.
Open Access and Collaborative Learning
Pioneering medical knowledge and Wikimedia advocacy
Connecticut,
United States
of America
Mikael Häggström, a radiology specialist, has made contributions to both the medical field and Wikimedia projects by sharing medical knowledge and imagery. He is the creator and current editor-in-chief of WikiJournal of Medicine, transforming academic publishing by integrating it with Wikipedia’s open-access model.
Editing the WikiJournal of Medicine
Advancing medical knowledge and collaboration across continents
Ireland
Dr. Gwinyai Masukume is a Medical Doctor and Public Health researcher specializing in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, with a primary focus on women’s health and the effects of Cesarean section deliveries. As the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the WikiJournal of Medicine from 2015 to 2022, he played a pivotal role in leveraging Wikipedia as a platform for open-access publishing.
Advancing Medical Knowledge
Dr. James Heilman’s Wikimedia journey
Vancouver, Canada
Dr. Heilman, an emergency physician, has been instrumental in encouraging clinicians to contribute to Wikipedia. Besides his active involvement in WikiProject Medicine and volunteer administration on Wikipedia, he served as the president of Wikimedia Canada and founded the Wiki Project Med Foundation.
Wikimedia’s Global Connectivity
Driving seamless accessibility with Papaul Tshibamba
Texas,
United States of America
As a Senior Data Center Engineer with the Wikimedia Foundation, Papaul helps ensure the uninterrupted accessibility of Wikipedia and its sister projects across the globe. His role involves overseeing the functioning of over 2,000 active servers spread across two data centers and four caching sites.
Leading Multilingual Innovation
Ensuring Wikimedia content is truly global
Kolkata, India
As a Senior Director of Product for Languages and Content Growth at the Wikimedia Foundation, Runa Bhattacharjee plays a pivotal role in shaping the multilingual landscape of Wikimedia projects. Focused on language diversity and technical innovation, Runa collaborates with teams and contributors to ensure that Wikimedia’s content remains accessible and impactful for users.
COLLABORATING WITH YOUTUBERS
Wikipedia as an educational tool
Bolivia
In Bolivia, the user group Wikimedistas de Bolivia implemented the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program in innovative ways, collaborating directly with a popular YouTuber,
Rodny Montoya
, to create videos explaining what Wikipedia is and how it works.
Training Teachers in Yemen
Wikipedia makes positive Impact on Yemeni teachers
Yemen
The Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program has successfully trained 30 Yemeni teachers on how to use Wikipedia as a teaching resource to promote student engagement and critical thinking skills.
Navigating Peaks and Valleys
Embracing diversity in Tanzania’s Wikimedia community
Tanzania
Tanzania is a land of great diversity, with over 120 ethnic groups, each with its own unique culture, language, and knowledge. As part of the global Wikimedia movement, Tanzanian Wikimedians are working hard to ensure that their communities are as diverse and inclusive as possible.
Increasing Access
Fante language joins Wikipedia
Ghana
Fante, one of the widely spoken languages in Ghana, has been approved on Wikipedia, joining four other Ghanaian languages with their own Wikipedia domain. Fante is primarily spoken in the central and southern regions of Ghana, as well as in settlements in other regions in the west of the country, with an estimated 2 million speakers.
Copyright Reform
Promoting knowledge equity in South Africa
South Africa
Members of Wikimedia South Africa, Wikimedia Deutschland, and the Wikimedia Foundation were active participants in the
“A Right to Research in Africa?” (R2R)
conference, which offered important lessons for those who wish to advocate for copyright reform including the overarching message that copyright reform is necessary to break down the social, political, and legal structures that sustain information injustice across Africa.
Fighting Disinformation
A repository of anti-disinformation projects
Chile
One of many projects highlighted, Wikimedia Chile collaborated with Google and the municipality (comuna) of Quilicura in Chile to develop a training called
¡Que no te pille la tecnología! Personas Mayores Informadas
(Don’t let technology catch you! Senior Citizens Informed), which helped older people be safe on the internet, and discussed specific techniques against disinformation.
A strong base
Community retention in Indonesia
Indonesia
Wikimedia Indonesia (WMID) has been supporting several Wikimedia communities across the regions of Indonesia. They consist of individuals of diverse backgrounds, statuses, and economic levels who have been crucial in advancing Wikimedia projects, such as Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikisource, as well as helping WMID with outreach and workshops in various parts of Indonesia. Currently, there are 14 local Wikimedia communities supported: four language-based communities, eight location-based communities, and two project-based communities.
Financial ACCOUNTABILITY
Financials
JULY 1, 2022 – JUNE 30, 2023
REPRESENTED IN US DOLLARS
Beginning assets (market value as of July 1, 2022)
99,893,169
Gifts received
14,097,487
Investment gains\losses
10,757,300
Total
124,747,956
Expenses
Fundraising
1,064,389
General & Administrative
925,281
Programmatic:
3,345,588
Funding for Wikimedia Projects
3,229,466
– Other
116,122
Total Expenses
5,335,258
Market value as of June 30, 2023
119,412,698
Change in market value in FY 22-23
19,519,529
Return on Invested Assets
11.37%
Photo
by Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
Leadership
Leadership during the 2022-2023 Financial Year
Board of Directors
Jimmy Wales
Founder, Wikipedia Project and Board Chair
Phoebe Ayers
Librarian, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peter Baldwin
Co-Founder, Arcadia Fund
Annette
Campbell-White
Founder, Kia Ora Foundation
Alexander M. Farman-Farmaian
Vice Chairman, Partner and Portfolio Manager, Edgewood Management
Michael Kim
Founder, Cendana Capital
Lisa Lewin
CEO in Residence,
Primary Venture Partners
Patricio Lorente
General Secretary of Administration, National University of La Plata
Doron Weber
Vice President of Programs, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Staff Leadership
Lisa Seitz Gruwell
President, Wikimedia Endowment
Photo
by Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
Donors
Merci
धन्यवाद
Gracias
ありがとう
شكراً
Danke
Asante
շնորհակալություն
Thank you!
We thank and appreciate the generous benefactors of the Wikimedia Endowment. Your steadfast support ensures the long-term sustainability and growth of Wikimedia projects, empowering millions worldwide with access to free encyclopedic knowledge for generations.
Arcadia
Amazon
Paula Begoun
Michael Brown
Karel Bujok
Annette Campbell-White
Alex and Patricia Farman-Farmaian
Carol Fryer and Bernard Moret
Laurie and Thomas Fusco
Peter Gadwa
Howard Gilman Foundation
Holly Gray
Marie Griffin and Robert Coffey
Steven Hamburger
In honor of Hank and Demaris Hudspeth
Christine & Jordan Kaplan
Karen A. and Kevin W. Kennedy Foundation
Khandros-Bloch Family
Victor Linck
Meraj Manal
Moneta Asset Management
In memory of Richard and Virginia Neufeld
The O’Brien Family, New Jersey
Tim and Mary Riordan
Unger Foundation
Mike Weiss
Ross Annable
Sarah Anderson
Michael Ashby and Nancy Till
Patricia A Aufderheide
Ken and Valerie Baker
Romelle Castle
Anjan Chatterjee
Nicholas Chu
Ms. Virginia Clark
Michael Danahy, Ph.D.
Helen Darling
Chris Dobson
John Dove
Greg Durrett
Yoseph Feit
Anita and John Fiorillo
Susan Leigh Foster
Walter Nicholas Freygang
Thomas and Elizabeth Gewecke
Edwin A. Goodman
Jack Goodman
Loretta Montanari Gottshall
Ronald & Peian Harness
Mari Nordby Harpur
Jack Hetherington
In memory of Professor Dr. Walter Higbee
Ernest Hildner
In honor of Zach Intrater and Marc Agnifilo
Kent Janér
Peter and Linda Jeschofnig
Eric Jones and Daniel Monasterio
John Kiely
Irene Kuhn
Peter Ian Kuniholm
Sally Lawrence and David Lai
Jerry LeClaire
Lisa Lewin
Elizabeth Liebman
Ian Longshore
Robert Lonergan
In memory of my sister MADELEINE
Alexander Main
Clara McCreery
Mr. Thomas McDavitt
Peter and Heather McHugh
Patricia & Charles Mintz
Perry Mitchell
Judith S Morton
Netflix
One Point Of Light Foundation Inc
Jeremiah Ostriker
Robert Quillin
Mary Patterson
Barbara Perreault
Matthew Petrosky
Jonathan Pool
Stephen Powelson
Lorraine and Gary Roberts
Terry Rossow
Nathan and Nancy Sambul
David Sassen
Charles Schade
Rogil Schroeter
Stephen Shank
Bill Spindler
Frederick Stanton
Frank and Cheryl Stearn
Elizabeth Story
Jon Thaler
Kelly Townsend
Jack Triplett
Lonna Wais
Doron Weber
Beverly and Darrell Weaver
K.L. Won
Mr. Eugene Yarovoi
Christopher Yetman
Photo
by Yare zaman2000, CC BY-SA 4.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION
The Wikimedia Foundation
Discover the heart of the Wikimedia Foundation’s impact in its 2022/2023 Annual Report. Explore the stories, initiatives, and achievements
here
Help Ensure Wikipedia’s Future
Giving today
The Wikimedia Endowment ensures that Wikipedia and the related projects will continue to provide the world with high quality encyclopedic knowledge now and into the future. Making a gift today is the simplest way to ensure that Wikipedia remains strong, stable, and always there when you need it. There are
many ways to make a gift
, including online, through a DAF, a gift of stock, a Qualified Charitable Distribution, a Charitable Gift Annuity, and more.
To learn more, visit wikimediaendowment.org.
Giving tomorrow
Your love of Wikipedia can live on by including Wikimedia in your estate plans. By naming the
Wikimedia Endowment
in your will or as a beneficiary of your retirement plan or insurance policy, you can leave a legacy that will benefit the next generation of Wikipedia readers.
To learn more, email
legacy@wikimedia.org
Give Today
Photo
by Jpbarrass, CC BY-SA 4.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
And that’s 2023 wrapped
Feel free to download this report as a PDF booklet, and to share it with your friends online.
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For more information about the Wikimedia Endowment, please contact us at
endowment@wikimedia.org
. For information on how you can support the Endowment with a planned gift, please contact
legacy@wikimedia.org
, or call
+1 415-541-3506 ext. 6863
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