2023 – 2024 Annual Report – Wikimedia Endowment

2023 – 2024 Annual Report – Wikimedia Endowment
Annual Report 2023-2024
The internet we were promised
President’s Message
“’The internet we were promised’ is more than a headline — it’s a promise we’re fulfilling together.”
Lisa Seitz Gruwell
President of the Wikimedia Endowment
The idea of Wikipedia can be traced back to the very beginning of the World Wide Web, when computer scientist
Sir Tim Berners-Lee
first envisioned a place where knowledge would be freely available to everyone. In 1991, speaking about how he invented the World Wide Web, Berners-Lee said, “This project is experimental and of course comes without any warranty whatsoever. However, it could start a revolution in information access.”
Wikipedia is the embodiment of that information revolution — a repository of the world’s knowledge that gives anyone, anywhere instant access to 60 million articles across 300+ languages. If Wikipedia had a “warranty,” it would be the Wikimedia Endowment — a fund ensuring long-term financial support for the Wikimedia projects at a time when Wikipedia’s role is more vital than ever.
Jimmy Wales founded Wikipedia in 2001, when the internet was showing the first big promise of where it could go. Every year since then has brought advances — technological and social — that have evolved the way people use the internet, and what they use the internet for. From the rise of mobile-first internet to the rapid advancements in AI, the digital landscape keeps evolving — and Wikipedia adapts with it, to meet the needs of our readers, contributors, and donors. Now in its third decade, Wikipedia leans on its original principles of neutrality, verifiability, and accessibility as it introduces new technologies, from mobile-first editing to machine learning tools to help editors fight mis- and disinformation.
Beyond securing its future, the Wikimedia Endowment is also strengthening Wikipedia in the present — funding technical innovations that keep Wikipedia relevant in an evolving digital landscape. In this year’s Annual Report, you’ll read how the Endowment is advancing editing tools that Wikipedia’s volunteers need to expand the knowledge we all depend on. You’ll also read how funding from the Endowment is bolstering a project that gives millions of people a way to access the sum of all human knowledge even without an internet connection. Even as phones and other technologies continue to get smarter, a large swath of the world needs help to benefit from the internet — and the Wikimedia Endowment is providing that access.
“The internet we were promised” is more than a headline or a slogan. It’s a promise that we’re fulfilling with the support of people around the world — including donors to the Wikimedia Endowment, volunteer editors on Wikipedia, software engineers at the Wikimedia Foundation, and scores of others on every continent who want an internet that embodies the internet’s highest ideals. These ideals are what make Wikipedia so impactful. Every year, billions of people rely on it for knowledge that is neutral, verifiable, and freely available — no matter what they’re searching for.
All of you have a hand in Wikipedia’s evolution. You have witnessed Wikipedia’s growth from what it could be to what it is today. The Wikimedia Endowment is our promise that Wikipedia will be there tomorrow and for future generations. It’s a commitment that is resolute, and a responsibility that we’re proud to carry on with your support.
With gratitude,
Lisa Seitz Gruwell
President, Wikimedia Endowment
Table of Contents
Table of contents
President's message
Stories
Look ahead to 2024-2025
Together, into tomorrow
Wikimedia community
Financial accountability
Leadership
Donors
Wikimedia Foundation
Share
President’s message
Stories
Look ahead to 2024-2025
Together, into tomorrow
Wikimedia community
Financial accountability
Leadership
Donors
Wikimedia Foundation
Share
Photo
by Richard Mortel, CC BY 2.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
Stories
Funding recipients: Where your support makes an impact
By funding four distinct projects in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the Wikimedia Endowment made a major impact both online and offline, benefiting millions of people across Wikipedia and its sister projects. As a long-term financial anchor, the Endowment secures the future of these platforms while simultaneously enhancing their present-day accessibility and technical infrastructure to ensure free knowledge remains available to all.
The Wikimedia Endowment uniquely balances immediate and long-term impact — improving key Wikimedia projects today while safeguarding the broader knowledge ecosystem for future generations. By maintaining and advancing Wikipedia’s reach, the Endowment remains the only fund with the dual ability to directly enhance Wikimedia’s core platforms while preserving their sustainability for years to come.
The Endowment’s four funded projects in the 2023-2024 fiscal year were:
Kiwix:
The offline reader and nonprofit organization is empowering users in regions with limited internet access — enabling offline access to Wikipedia’s vast knowledge base.
Abstract Wikipedia & Wikifunctions:
The projects are expanding knowledge across languages to ensure Wikipedia remains a truly global resource.
Machine Learning:
This project is leveraging AI to ensure Wikipedia’s content is high quality, accurate, and up to date.
Wikidata:
This project is strengthening Wikipedia’s interconnected knowledge structure, making it more accessible and useful across languages and platforms.
The Guptas’ “global” view inspired their generosity toward Wikipedia
Shashi Gupta has used Wikipedia for as long as Wikipedia has existed, and he’s come to respect its knowledge base so much that he uses Wikipedia this way: “I’ve told people who started sending me stuff from social media to stop doing that and to send me the Wikipedia equivalent.”
Donors of all backgrounds are pushing Wikipedia forward
The symbiosis between donors and the Endowment’s success is unmistakable. Every new donation, and every new donor who recognizes the Endowment’s importance, lifts up the fund and the Wikimedia projects in ways that are impactful, indelible, and life-changing.
He’s leaving a mark on the world through music, with an eye on giving to Wikipedia
When Adam Mackintosh is working, he always has a guitar in his hands or somewhere nearby — whether he’s performing on stage, teaching students how to play, or writing songs that he envisions being streamed on internet sites for decades and decades. Music is an essential part of Mackintosh’s day-to-day life, including what he looks up on Wikipedia.
Richard Ruth, who values Wikipedia’s commitment to objective knowledge, donates from his 401k account to make a lasting impact
At age 73, Richard Ruth is still working in a field that he’s enjoyed for more than 40 years: The area of the automotive industry that focuses on automotive restraint systems (like seat belts and airbags) and Event Data Recorders (devices that record data about a vehicle’s performance and systems — especially before, during, and after a crash).
Look ahead to 2024-2025
Introducing the FY 2024-25 funding recipients
The Endowment made a new round of funding to support work for the 2024-25 period— again focusing on projects that are advancing Wikipedia’s technical infrastructure.
Kiwix
Also a recipient of 2023-2024 funding, Kiwix—an offline way to access Wikipedia—embodies the Endowment’s commitment to advance accessibility. A groundbreaking project dedicated to democratizing access to Wikipedia and other educational content, Kiwix aims to make vast repositories of knowledge accessible to everyone, regardless of their internet connectivity status.
Abstract Wikipedia
Also a recipient of 2023-2024 funding, Abstract Wikipedia is a Wikimedia Foundation project that aims to build a knowledge base that makes it easier to share, add, translate, and improve knowledge across languages on Wikipedia.
Future Audiences
Another project of the Wikimedia Foundation, Future Audiences is a cross-team collaboration to explore how the Wikimedia Foundation can reach future audiences of knowledge seekers and contributors. Rather than building products, the work launches time-bound experiments to identify and recommend opportunities for the Wikimedia Foundation to innovate.
Improvements to MediaWiki
MediaWiki is the free open-source software that powers Wikipedia — and also thousands of other websites that rely on its technical ability to let people collaboratively edit reference projects.
Together, Into Tomorrow
“Magic” happens when you fund the Wikimedia Endowment
Wikipedia has now existed for a generation of people around the world. Its very first article appeared online in January 2001, followed by other articles that quickly signified that Wikipedia would be a serious and popular compendium of knowledge. Every year, more than a billion people use Wikipedia and its sister projects, which now form the largest shared knowledge source in human history. For future generations, though, these achievements won’t matter if Wikipedia doesn’t exist for them, too. Wikipedia itself would just be something to read about — like learning about an old encyclopedia from the 19th century that once made an impact on people’s lives.
The Wikimedia Endowment is our commitment to Wikipedia’s future — its future as a viable and impactful knowledge resource that will continue to be as important to people’s lives as it is today. We share this commitment with every donor who gives to the Wikimedia Endowment. Whether you’ve donated $10 or $10,000, you’ve helped secure the future of Wikipedia. You’ve joined with other Endowment donors and with everyone else who supports the Wikimedia projects and are making them better now and for years to come. That includes the volunteer editors who are adding the knowledge we all use. That includes the people working on all the projects that the Endowment is funding. We’re all working together. In unison. For a cause that we all care about: Wikipedia.
There’s so much to be proud of. So, thank you. Not just for your past support but for your future support. We’re working with you to bring Wikipedia well into the future, where Wikipedia’s even-more-robust knowledge base will do what it always has done: Give everyone insight about subjects they deeply care about. A single Wikipedia article can change how someone sees the world. A single donation to the Wikimedia Endowment can change how the Endowment grows and helps the Wikimedia projects. The result of a donation is something magical: The knowledge that you made a difference. As the Wikimedia Endowment continues to grow and to be even more impactful, we look forward to making a difference with you for many years to come.
Photo
by Hosein Ronasi, CC BY-SA 4.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
WIKIMEDIA COMMUNITY
A global tapestry of stories
Explore a dynamic map highlighting the experiences and contributions of Wikimedians worldwide.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Our first data center in South America is a gamechanger
São Paulo, Brazil
The center in Brazil is giving millions of people better access to Wikipedia’s knowledge base — lowering pageload times, and making users’ connections much more secure and private.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Dark mode is transforming Wikipedia’s accessibility
Worldwide
The important feature lets users — including those with visual impairments — read Wikipedia pages with less eye strain.
Knowledge Equity
New translation service brings more of the world’s languages to Wikipedia
Worldwide
MinT, which stands for “Machine in Translation,” is a groundbreaking language translation tool that helps Wikipedia editors more seamlessly translate content.
Knowledge Equity
WikiWomen Camp bridged the gender gap in South Asia
Gurgaon (New Delhi), India
Held for the first time in six years, the camp created a supportive space for women contributors to connect, learn, and collaborate on initiatives that amplify their impact on the Wikimedia projects.
Knowledge Equity
Wiki Mentor Africa Hackathon is first of its kind
Abuja, Nigeria
Innovative mentorship program connected experienced contributors with newcomers from across the continent interested in contributing to Wikimedia’s technical spaces.
Effectiveness
Wikimedia Foundation receives a clean audit for 18th straight year
San Francisco, United States of America
Report details the strong financial position that the Foundation is in — and that the vast majority of our revenue came from the generosity of donors.
Effectiveness
Fundraising report shows that a wide swath of the world supports the Foundation’s projects
San Francisco, United States of America
Eight million donors gave in the fiscal year — with donations from more than 200 countries. The Wikimedia Foundation also worked closely with Wikimedia volunteers during the year’s fundraising campaigns.
Safety and Inclusion
Wikimedia Foundation CEO calls on governments to protect Wikipedia’s volunteer editors
New York City, United States of America
At a high-level side event during the United Nations General Assembly, Maryana Iskander urged governments to support the global community of volunteers who share knowledge across Wikimedia projects.
Safety and Inclusion
Foundation announces a new repository of anti-disinformation initiatives and tools
Worldwide
Developed at the local level across the Wikimedia projects, the repository captures efforts to curb false and misleading information on Wikipedia and on other sites that millions of people use every day.
knowledge
Equity
Wikimedian of the Year is youngest-ever awardee
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada
Even at 21, Hannah Clover has made more than 24,000 edits. She also has administrator rights — which is one of the highest ranks an editor can have.
Safety and Inclusion
At a notable African conference sponsored by the Foundation, attendees did important work around digital rights
Accra, Ghana
At the Digital Rights and Inclusion Conference — a major regional forum in which digital policies and internet governance in Africa are debated and shaped — participants focused on such key issues as protecting Wikipedia from disinformation.
Infrastructure
Selena Deckelmann gives her inside view of how the Foundation’s technology has changed for the better
Portland, United States
of America
The Wikimedia Foundation’s Chief Product and Technology Officer explains how Wikipedia and its sister projects can be a multigenerational success as it continues to stay relevant for decades to come.
Infrastructure
How searching for images got much better on Wikimedia Commons
Worldwide
The free repository of more than 100 million media files is now easier to use when you look for photos that matter the most.
Knowledge Equity
A new night school for seniors inspired scores of people to contribute to Wikipedia
Prague, Czech Republic
Six-week courses in the Czech Republic are prompting seniors there to add knowledge to articles. “It’s been fun so far,” said one.
Infrastructure
To get Flickr images on Wikimedia Commons, there’s now “Flickypedia”
Worldwide
The Wikimedia Foundation collaborated with the non-profit Flickr Foundation to make it easier to illustrate Wikipedia with high-quality, relevant photography from Flickr.
Infrastructure
AI is helping the Foundation engage better with users while maintaining the integrity of human-generated content.
Worldwide
Our “Future Audiences” work is exploring strategies for expanding our projects’ reach beyond existing audiences of readers, content reusers, and contributors — which is a crucial initiative as we accelerate innovations that engage diverse audiences as editors and contributors.
Knowledge Equity
A campaign designed to increase Wikipedia articles about women did just that
Worldwide
As part of a community-wide effort, the Foundation highlighted the need to add more knowledge about women — whether it was adding articles to Wikipedia or doing other crucial behind-the-scenes work.
Infrastructure
An updated tool helped organizers create and manage their events even better on the Wikimedia projects
Worldwide
Hundreds of events are benefiting from the tool, which allows participants to sign up and receive timely updates — and to do so much, much more as they add knowledge across the Wikimedia projects.
Effectiveness
The Foundation streamlined our ability to provide translations of core documentation and communications
Worldwide
We’re now able to support more than 30 languages in our communications with the projects’ worldwide community — an increase from just six languages in the recent past.
Knowledge Equity
At a nunnery in Bhutan, nuns are adding knowledge to the burgeoning Wikipedia edition of the Dzongkha language
Paro District, Bhutan
The language is a Tibeto-Burman language that’s the official and national language of Bhutan. Written using the Tibetan script, it has fewer than 500 articles for now.
Movement Leadership
Honoring 17 Years of Service: DerHexer, Wikimedia Laureate
Berlin, Germany
Martin, known as DerHexer, is Wikimedia’s longest-serving Steward, with nearly two decades of contributions across Wikipedia, Commons, and Meta. He is known for behind-the-scenes technical and administrative support, and has been instrumental in keeping Wikimedia projects safe and efficient for global users.
Visual Culture and Design
Designing the Spirit of the Movement: Kurmanbek, Media Contributor of the Year
Istanbul, Turkey
Caner Özyayıkçı (Kurmanbek) brings Wikimedia communities to life through graphic design, crafting visual identities for campaigns, conferences, and mascots. His work helps connect cultures and tell Wikimedia’s story through design rooted in tradition and creativity.
Language Preservation
A Wikipedia in Wayuunaiki: The Wayuu Community, Newcomers of the Year
Guajira Peninsula, Colombia and Venezuela
The Wayuu community launched the Wayuunaiki Wikipedia in 2023, enabling Indigenous knowledge to be shared in their own language. The work of Leonardi Fernández and the Wikimedistas Wayuu User Group was essential in overcoming digital and geographic barriers.
Behind-the-Scenes Impact
Quiet Dedication: Ата, Functionary of the Year
Ukraine
Vira Motorko (Ата) is known for tackling overlooked but essential work on Ukrainian Wikipedia—improving templates, interfaces, translations, and documentation. Her edits contribute to language equity, accuracy, and accessibility for Ukrainian speakers.
Affiliate Leadership
Championing Diversity: Gu Eun-ae, Honorable Mention
Seoul, South Korea
As Director of Wikimedia Korea, Gu Eun-ae (Motoko C. K.) has advanced knowledge equity by leading initiatives on youth engagement and knowledge gaps—including improving content on HIV/AIDS in Korean Wikipedia.
Open Technology
From Scripts to Systems: Siddharth VP, Tech Contributor of the Year
India
Siddharth VP is the 2024 Tech Contributor of the Year for his work on the MediaWiki platform and tools like Twinkle and the Draft Submission Interface. His contributions have improved the user experience for thousands of newcomers.
Advocacy and Copyright Reform
Advocating for Freedom of Panorama in South Africa
Pretoria, South Africa
Since 2012, Wikimedia South Africa has been advocating for a Freedom of Panorama exception in copyright law to allow photographs of public monuments, including those commemorating post-apartheid history, to be freely shared. The chapter has played a key role in the decade-long legislative process, building coalitions, shaping public discourse, and testifying in Parliament.
Community Building and Language Preservation
Rampak Mekar: Growth and Celebration at WikiNusantara 2024
Bogor, Indonesia
Held under the theme “Rampak Mekar” (“blooming together” in Sundanese), WikiNusantara 2024 brought together over 100 volunteers across Indonesia for four days of collaboration, learning, and celebration. Highlights included the launch of several new Wikimedia projects in local languages, workshops on social media and grant writing, partnerships with Google, UNFPA, and UNESCO, and awards recognizing outstanding contributors.
Heritage Preservation and Global Collaboration
Told Cities: Documenting the Living Legacy of UNESCO World Heritage Cities
Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
Through the Told Cities project, Wiki World Heritage is documenting the cultural and historical richness of World Heritage Cities using Wikimedia projects like Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Commons. In Guatemala, the Centro Regional De Patrimonio is leading efforts to preserve and share the heritage of Antigua Guatemala. Similar collaborations are also underway in Ethiopia (Harar Jugol) and Senegal (Saint-Louis and Île de Gorée).
Offline Access and Educational Equity
Bringing Offline Knowledge to Classrooms: Kiwix in Tanzania
Dodoma, Tanzania
After discovering Kiwix at WikiIndaba 2022 and deepening their knowledge through a mentorship program in 2023, Pellagia Njau and Hussein Issa launched the Kiwix4Schools initiative in Tanzania. The program has already reached over 150 students and 25 teachers by installing Kiwix and training participants in offline access to Wikipedia and educational content.
Cultural Representation and Indigenous Knowledge
Elevating First Nations Music on Wikipedia
Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia
As part of The Record: Australian Music on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Australia named Bianca Valentino its first-ever First Nations Wikipedian in Residence. Hosted at the State Library of Queensland, Bianca is enriching Wikipedia with stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians, using archives, oral histories, and her experience as a writer and music zine editor.
Financial ACCOUNTABILITY
Financials
JULY 1, 2023 – JUNE 30, 2024
REPRESENTED IN US DOLLARS
Beginning assets (market value as of July 1, 2023)
119,412,698
Gifts received
13,416,423
Investment gains\losses
16,449,928
Total
149,279,049
Expenses
Fundraising
1,170,684
General & Administrative
674,988
Programmatic:
3,107,755
– Funding for Wikimedia Projects
2,878,345
– Other
229,410
Total Expenses
4,953,427
Market value as of June 30, 2024
144,325,622
Change in market value in FY 23-24
24,912,924
Return on Invested Assets
17.65%
Photo
by Chaichaio, CC BY-SA 4.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
Leadership
Leadership during the 2023-2024 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
Mayree Clark
Laura Duchâtelet
Founder, LD&U
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
Charles M. Roslof
Secretary, Wikimedia Endowment
Dhaval Patel
Treasurer, Wikimedia Endowment
Photo
by ANU Museum marketing department, 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 are deeply grateful to the generous benefactors of the Wikimedia Endowment. Your unwavering support guarantees the long-term sustainability and growth of Wikimedia projects, enabling millions around the world to access free, encyclopedic knowledge for generations to come.
Arcadia
King Baudouin Foundation
Alex & Patricia Farman-Farmaian
MathWorks
I.W. Foundation
Ike and Ellen Kier
Gupta Family Foundation
The Aber D. Unger Foundation
Steven and Sandra Berglund
Graeme Birchall
Kevin Bonebrake and Winnie Scheuer
Samuel Bowen
Chris and Jennifer Brahm
Annette Campbell-White
In honor of David Colander
Guy and Helen Connolly
Disney Employee Matching Gifts
Peter Gadwa
Emily and Sam Glick
Edwin A. Goodman
Holly Gray
Marie Griffin and Robert Coffey
Kiwan Gu
The Keough Family Foundation
Jeremy Levine & Yael Taqqu
In memory of Richard and Virginia Neufeld
Manish Pandya
Madeleine Richard
Tim and Mary Riordan
Edward and Elaine Shoben
Doug Standing
Albert & Candace Staton
Diana Strassmann and Jeff Smisek
Fred Thorlin
Cynthia C. Wainwright and Stephen Berger
K.L. Won
Anonymous donors
Kathleen and Jack Applewhite
Brent Blumenstein and Anne Ryan
Roger and Helen Bohl
Charles H. and Ellen D. Brown
David Carter
In memory of Dileep Jivanlal Champaneria
Niranjan and Savita Chandragiri
Crystal Chen
Juan Cockburn
John Dove
The Eubanks Memorial Trust
Jennifer V. Furman
Mary and Paul Henry
P. Goetze
Jack Goodman
Loretta Montanari Gottshall
Alan Gould
Terence E. Gray
Jack Hetherington
David A Johnson
Jay Jones
Elizabeth and Albert Kidd
Kim and Jesse Kinder
Sally Lawrence and David Lai
Phillip Lawson
Jerry LeClaire
Richard Lenon and Leslie Hsu
Ken Lipper
Scott Mackie and Alison Platt
In memory of my sister MADELEINE
Alexander Main
Goran & Kelly Marnfeldt
Sydney McDole and Naresh Lakhanpal
Minassian Media
Perry Mitchell
Mildred B and Radhe Mohan For The Mohan Family Fund
Jasmine Nabi
Anil Nai
Robert Ordal
Terry Rossow
Philip and Reggie Roy
Scott Satterwhite
Rogil Schroeter
The Sigler Family
Martin Smith
Mike Speciner
Bill Spindler
In Memory of Marilyn McDonald
Bruce G. Stewart
Elizabeth Story
Jon Thaler
Michael Thonis
Kit Transue
Jack Triplett
Caitlin Virtue
Beverly and Darrell Weaver
Bruce Whiting
Anonymous donors
WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION
The Wikimedia Foundation
Learn how the Wikimedia Foundation is ensuring that Wikipedia’s promise and potential are being fulfilled in its 2023/24 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 Donor Advised Fund, 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 Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
And that’s 2024 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
Photo Credits
Stockholm Public Library January 2015 04
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
Arild Vågen
CC BY-SA 4.0
Lisa Seitz Gruwell Portrait
File provided by Wikimedia Commons
Myleen Hollero
CC BY‑SA 4.0
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