Transparency is a core principle of the Wikimedia Foundation, and we are proud to be recognized as one of the most transparent non-profit organizations in the world. Our annual plan and operating budget are developed through open processes, subject to community feedback and Board approval, and always available to the public for review.
Expenses
We show our financial activity in two key programmatic areas: how donor contributions support the Wikimedia community and the Wikimedia projects, including Wikipedia.
These efforts are supported by our organization’s administrative and fundraising activities.
-
July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018
i. Direct support to websites - 40%
ii. Direct support to communities - 34%
iii. Administration and governance - 14%
iiii. Fundraising - 12%
-
40% Direct support to websites
Keeping the Wikimedia websites online is about more than just servers. It also includes ongoing engineering improvements, product development, design and research, and legal support. Wikipedia is one of the top 10 websites in the world, and it runs on a fraction of what other top websites spend.
-
34% Direct support to communities
The Wikimedia projects exist thanks to volunteer communities around the world that create and maintain them. We strengthen these communities through grants, programs, events, trainings, partnerships, tools to augment contributor capacity, and support for the legal defense of editors.
-
12% Fundraising
Wikimedia is supported entirely by donations. Millions of remarkable individuals and institutions contribute financially to ensure that we have the necessary resources to continue our global mission.
-
14% Administration and governance
We manage funds and resources responsibly to recruit and support skilled, passionate staff who advance our communities and values. Other top websites have thousands of employees. We have 350+ staff and contractors to support a wide variety of projects, making each donation a great investment in a highly-efficient not-for-profit organization.
-
Charity Navigator
We're proud to say that Charity Navigator awarded us with an overall score and rating of 96.15 for our financial, accountability, and transparency practices.
Balance sheet – Audited (USD)
-
June 30, 2018
Assets
Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents 73,900,242 Restricted cash 852,369 Current portion of
contributions receivable250,000 Short-term investments 50,555,375 Prepaid expenses and
other current assets3,268,111 Total current assets 128,826,097 Property, plant, and equipment, net 6,326,918 Long-term investments 10,697,763 Total assets 145,850,778 Liabilities and net assets
Current liabilities: Accounts payable 3,400,188 Accrued expenses 4,912,160 Other liabilities 2,588,860 Total current liabilities 10,901,208 Total liabilities 10,901,208 Net assets: Unrestricted 132,849,282 Temporarily restricted 2,100,288 Total net assets 134,949,570 Total liabilities and net assets 145,850,778
Statement of Activities – Audited (USD)
-
July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018
Unrestricted net assets
Support and revenue: Donations and contributions 97,748,964 In-kind service revenue 2,781,234 Foreign currency gains 251,596 Other income, net 140,870 Investment income, net 835,304 Release of restrictions on
temporarily restricted net assets2,747,815 Total support and revenue 104,505,783 Expenses: Salaries and wages 38,597,407 Awards and grants 13,555,339 Internet hosting 2,342,130 In-kind service expenses 2,781,234 Donation processing expenses 4,512,139 Professional service expenses 7,059,832 Other operating expenses 7,033,513 Travel and conferences 2,389,279 Depreciation and amortization 2,903,910 Special event expense, net 267,482 Total expenses 81,442,265 Increase in unrestricted net assets 23,063,518 Temporarily restricted net assets
Contributions 1,303,670 Release of restrictions on temporarily restricted net assets (2,747,815) Decrease in temporarily restricted net assets (1,444,145) Increase in net assets 21,619,373 Net assets at beginning of year 113,330,197 Net assets at end of year 134,949,570
Foundation leadership
"What internet do we want? How do we want these platforms to behave? What culture do we wish to create? We are shaping that future today." –Katherine Maher, Wikimedia Foundation Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director
-
2017–2018 Board of Trustees
María Sefidari Huici
Chair
Christophe Henner
Vice Chair
Esra'a Al Shafei
Kelly Battles (term concluded in July 2018)
Tanya Capuano
Dr. James Heilman
Dr. Dariusz Jemielniak
Lisa Lewin
Raju Narisetti
Nataliia Tymkiv
Jimmy Wales
Alice Wiegand (term concluded in July 2018)
-
2019 Leadership team
Katherine Maher
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director
Janeen Uzzell
Chief Operating Officer
Lisa Seitz-Gruwell
Chief Advancement Officer
Toby Negrin
Chief Product Officer
Heather Walls
Chief Creative Officer
Valerie D’Costa
Chief of Community Engagement
Jaime Villagomez
Chief Financial Officer
Tony Sebro
Interim General Counsel
Joady Lohr
Chief Talent and Culture Officer
Erika Bjune
Interim Chief Technology Officer
Report homepage
Help us unlock the world’s knowledge.
As a nonprofit, Wikipedia and our related free knowledge projects are powered primarily through donations.
Donate nowContact us
Follow
Photo credits
Detroit Publishing Company/restored by Durova