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{{For|information on the administrative structure of Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Administration}}
{{redirects here|WP:WMF|discussion of matters between the editor community and the foundation|Wikipedia:Village pump (WMF)}}
{{Information page|WP:WMF|WP:HQ|WP:FOUND}}
{{Info|For a general forum about the WMF or any of its projects, see [[m:Forum]] (the Wikimedia Forum), though the [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/Wikimedia-l Wikimedia-L] mailing list is more active. This page is for '''anyone''', including WMF employees, to edit.}}
The '''[[Wikimedia Foundation]]''' or '''WMF'''—based in San Francisco—is the organization that owns the domain <code>wikipedia.org</code>.<ref>It also owns many other domains.</ref> The Foundation raises money, distributes [[m:Grants|grants]], controls the servers, develops and deploys software, and does outreach to support [[Wikipedia:Wikimedia sister projects|Wikimedia projects]], including the English Wikipedia. The WMF does not edit Wikipedia content (except for occasional [[Wikipedia:Office actions|office actions]]). "[[Wikipedia:The community|The community]]" (largely volunteer editors) handle content, because if the WMF did take responsibility for content, it would introduce liability issues per [[Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act]].

The organization grew quickly. In 2006, there were five employees and about $2.7 million in revenue. In 2012, there were approximately 140 [[wmf:Staff|employees]] and a revenue of about $38 million (mostly from donations). In 2016, there were approximately 280 employees,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/FAQ/en#How_is_the_Wikimedia_Foundation_run.3F|title=Frequently asked questions - Wikimedia Foundation|website=wikimediafoundation.org}}</ref> and in 2020, there were approximately 450 employees and contractors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/role/staff-contractors/|title=Staff and Contractors|website=Wikimedia Foundation}}</ref> {{Weasel_inline|text=Many|date=August 2021}} current employees had their start as respected Wikipedia volunteers.

==Software and tech info==
[[File:Wikimedia feature on English Wikipedia.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The grey toolbar on the right of the screen is the [[Wikipedia:Page Curation/Help#Curation Toolbar|curation toolbar]].]]
The WMF and volunteers develop software used on the English Wikipedia (and other Wikimedia projects). Even you can [[mw:How to become a MediaWiki hacker|become a MediaWiki hacker]]. See [[mw:Wikimedia engineering]] for some of the current priorities and [[m:Tech/News]] for news. The WMF is also hiring, see [[foundationsite:about/jobs]]. If you have a specific idea about how to develop a new software feature for the English Wikipedia, it could help to find a wiki-colleague or make a friend who has experience. You might find people by posting your ideas at [[Wikipedia:Village pump (idea lab)|WP:VPI]], [[Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)|WP:VPP]], [[Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)|WP:VPT]], or looking for tech-savvy Wikipedians in [[:Category:Wikipedia bot operators]]. You might also consider learning how to code yourself or seeing if an [[m:Grants:IEG|Individual Engagement Grant]] (IEG) could suit you (however IEG's are not just about tech stuff). Getting official development time from the WMF for new ideas is unfortunately difficult because there are many old and good ideas in the works, bugs already logged, and feature requests to existing software already requested.<ref>Feature requests are defined as "enhancement" requests to a specific software line in a [[Phabricator:|Phabricator]] task (see that specified [[mw:How to report a bug#Reporting a new bug or feature request|here]]). A video tutorial is at [[:File:Creating Tasks In Phabricator.webm]].</ref>

==Rollouts and planned new features==
*[[Wikipedia:Notifications]]
*The [[Wikipedia:Page Curation/Help#Curation Toolbar|Curation Toolbar]] was released in May 2012: just go to [[Special:NewPagesFeed]] then click on a new article.
*The [[Wikipedia:VisualEditor]] is [[mw:Beta Features|beta released]] and [[Wikipedia:VisualEditor/Feedback]] is open for feedback
*The [[mw:Multimedia/Media Viewer|Media Viewer]] was released on June 3, 2014<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Multimedia/Media_Viewer/Release_Plan#Timeline|title=Multimedia/Media Viewer/Release Plan|publisher=}}</ref>

==Organization, programs, and contact==
The WMF suffered significant staff turmoil, turnover among board members, and loss of many long-standing employees in the 1 year and 10 months of [[Lila Tretikov]]'s ([[User:LilaTretikov]])<ref name=Spiegel2016>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/wikipedia-streit-um-knowledge-engine-lila-tretikov-tritt-zurueck-a-1079448.html |title=Online-Enzyklopädie: Chefin der Wikipedia-Stiftung tritt zurück |date=February 26, 2016 |work=[[Spiegel Online]]}}</ref> tenure as executive director (June 2014 to March 2016), as chronicled at [http://mollywhite.net/wikimedia-timeline/ A timeline of recent events surrounding the Wikimedia projects] by [[User:GorillaWarfare]] and others.

=== Board of Trustees ===
{{anchor|Board}}{{Main article|Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees|m:Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees|wmf:Board of Trustees|WP:Role of Jimmy Wales}}
The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees oversees the foundation and its work, as its [[wmf:Bylaws#Section 1. General Powers.|ultimate corporate authority]].

Three board trustees are to be elected as community representatives, but there were periods when three were not serving in 2015 and 2016. (See [[m:Wikimedia_Foundation_elections_2015/Results]] for results of the most recent Wikimedia elections.) [[User:Doc James]]/[[James Heilman]] was voted off of the board in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:James_Heilman_Removal|title=Resolution:James Heilman Removal - Wikimedia Foundation|website=wikimediafoundation.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wikistrategies.net/james-heilman-removed/|title=Wikimedia Foundation ousts community-elected Trustee - Wiki Strategies|website=wikistrategies.net}}</ref> This related to his communication with staff and interest in making details of the [[Knowledge Engine (Wikimedia Foundation)|Knowledge Engine]] public; [[Andrew Lih]]/[[User:Fuzheado]] of the ''Wikipedia Weekly'' later said in March 2016 that "we can now see in retrospect James was very much justified in taking on these issues".<ref>[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2016-03-16/Wikipedia_Weekly]]. 51 minutes and 53 seconds in.</ref> ([[User:Raystorm]]/María Sefidari) was brought on in place of James. She finished 4th in the previous election and had prior board experience. In 2016, a community-elected member, [[User:Denny]]/Denny Vrandečić, resigned.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2016-04-14/News and notes]]</ref> [[User:Jimbo Wales]]/[[Jimmy Wales]] has the "founder's seat" and the title "[[Emeritus]] [[Chairman]]". Two board members are selected by [[wmf:Wikimedia movement affiliates|Wikimedia movement affiliates]] and the remaining four members are appointed by the rest of the board for expert knowledge. The WMF has an [[wmf:Advisory Board|Advisory Board]]. See [[strategy:Task force/Strategy/Plan overview]] for old community discussion on strategy.

For the most recent minutes of the [[wmf:Board of Trustees#Current members|Board of Trustees]], see [[wmf:Resolutions]]. For a list of the board's user accounts, see [[m:Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees]]. The board has [[m:Wikimedia Foundation Board noticeboard|a noticeboard]] as well. If you have a general question for the WMF that is more general than just English Wikipedia, then that can go to answers{{@}}wikimedia.org (and here are some [[wmf:Answers/Index|previous answers]]). There are also other ways to [[wmf:Contact us|contact the WMF]].

==Reception==
Members of [[Wikipedia:The community|the Wikipedia community]] vary in their reactions to WMF initiatives. Many at [[WP:VisualEditor/Default State RFC]] criticized the buggy release of the [[WP:VisualEditor]] (VE). The community disabled some VE features, in line with consensus, but against WMF wishes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&oldid=574334035#Comments_requested_before_I_implement_consensus_at_WP:VisualEditor.2FDefault_State_RFC|title=Comments requested before I implement consensus|publisher=}}</ref> [[WP:Education Working Group/RfC]] shows both community support and community skepticism of the value of the [[WP:Education program]]. The recent notification features received generally positive feedback. Sometimes, WMF staff provide direct and organized support to volunteer Wikipedians engaged in advancing [[:wmf:Mission statement|the Wikimedia mission]] – more perhaps than the volunteer community might be able to muster. For example, the WMF has helped users that faced legal problems that occurred because of their editing of Wikimedia projects.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/business/media/once-a-profit-dream-wikitravel-now-bedevils-owner.html |title=Travel Site Built on Wiki Ethos Now Bedevils Its Owner |author=Noam Cohen |newspaper= The New York Times |date=9 September 2012}}</ref>

ACTRIAL was important because it showed how disagreement between the WMF and the community can occasionally reach proportions requiring the Foundation to bend to the volunteers' consensuses for needed organic changes as they finally did at [[WP:ACPERM]] five years later. <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Village_pump_%28proposals%29&oldid=575034750#Shameless_plug_for_a_page_I_created this].</ref>

== Money ==
In 2013, [[Sue Gardner]]/[[User:Sue Gardner]], then executive director, criticized the existing structure of grantmaking, which she proposed and set up,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:Funds_Dissemination_Committee_framework_and_initial_operation|title=Funds Dissemination Committee framework and initial operation|author=Wikimedia Foundation|date=2012-07-11|quote=The Executive Director has prepared the framework [...] the Executive Director recommended the formal creation of the FDC}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fundraising_and_Funds_Dissemination/Recommendations&oldid=3213789#Recommendations:_Funds_Dissemination|title=Fundraising and Funds Dissemination Recommendations (original version)|author=Sue Gardner|quote=Recommendations: Funds Dissemination|date=2012-01-05}}</ref> as being too vulnerable to corruption.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2013-10-02/News and notes]]</ref> There are ways to participate managing the money that is donated to the WMF. There is a [[m:Grant Advisory Committee]], composed of volunteers. There is also a [[m:Funds Dissemination Committee]] with elected representatives.

==Staff==
There are about 282 staff members, including employees and individual independent contractors. Staff are generally paid either an hourly wage or a monthly salary. Full-time employees in the US receive [[employee benefit]]s, including fully paid health insurance. There are no bonuses, no commissions, no profit-sharing, and no stock options or any other types of equity-based compensation.

The compensation for all Board members (which is US $0.00), all officers, all directors, key employees and other highly compensated staff is publicly available through the Form 990 on [[GuideStar|Guidestar.org]]. In the fiscal year ending in June 2012, the highest-paid employee was Sue Gardner, who had a base salary of US $200,000 per year and also received the equivalent of $19,980 in other forms of compensation (mostly in retirement savings and health insurance premiums). See [[m:Wikimedia Foundation salaries]] for a compilation of salaries from the public 990s over the years.

The Wikimedia Foundation usually has some job openings<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Work_with_us#Wikimedia_Careers|title=Work with us|publisher=}}</ref> and seeks people who are motivated by the mission.

==Legal==
In general, the Foundation does not provide legal support or legal advice to volunteers. But see [https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Legal_and_Community_Advocacy/Legal_Policies#Defense_of_Contributors meta.wikimedia.org] for more details because it does maintain a [[m:Legal and Community Advocacy/Legal Fees Assistance Program]] for volunteers under certain circumstances.

==See also==
*[[Help:Interwikimedia links]] if you'd like see how to make links to other specific Wikimedia pages
*[[wmfblog:|Wikimedia Foundation blog]]
*[[m:Wikimedia Foundation Report, July 2014|Wikimedia Foundation Report, July 2014]], for a recent WMF monthly report
*[[:Category:Wikimedia Foundation staff|Wikimedia Foundation staff]], a list of WMF-related English Wikipedia accounts
*[[Wikipedia:Contact us]], for more general "Wikipedia contact info"
*[[Wikipedia:Village pump (WMF)]], a place for dialogue between the community and the WMF
*[[Wikipedia:Wikimedia Cloud Services]]
*''[[Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost|The Signpost]]'', the English Wikipedia newsletter, which is a volunteer initiative and includes coverage of WMF-related activity

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Wikipedia accounts|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:Wikipedia Wikimedia administration]]

Wikipedia:Wikimedia Foundation - Revision history

Tachyony: Imported page