Press room

Press releases

Sixth Annual Campaign to Protect Wikipedia Kicks Off

10 November 2009 Wikimedia Foundation invites readers, editors and contributors to show support and help raise over $7.5 million.

Wikimedia and comScore partner to improve understanding of the reach and impact of free knowledge on the Web

3 November 2009 Digital market intelligence leader expands Wikimedia’s global user research horizon.

Wikimedia Foundation Announces New Appointments to Board of Trustees at Wikimania in Buenos Aires

25 August 2009 Appointments confirm recent community elections and formalize new roles for members.

Omidyar Network Commits $2 Million Grant to Wikimedia Foundation

25 August 2009 Grant brings financial and human capital support from Omidyar Network.

Wikimania 2009 kicks off this week in Buenos Aires

24 August 2009 Fifth annual conference takes place August 26, 27, 28, 2009.

Wikimedia Foundation receives $500,000 in operational support from Hewlett Foundation

20 August 2009 The Wikimedia Foundation has received a $500,000 grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to expand its work bringing free educational content to everyone on the planet.

¡Viva Wikimanía! ¡Buenos Aires los espera! / Buenos Aires awaits you!

20 July 2009 Media registration is now open for Wikimania 2009 in Buenos Aires.

NIH and Wikimedia Foundation Collaborate to Improve Online Health Information

14 July 2009 Organizations are joining forces to make health and science information more accessible and reliable.

Ford Foundation Grant to support Wikimedia Commons

1 July 2009 $300,000 will empower individuals around the world to share educational photos, illustrations, videos, and sound.

Wikimedia Selects Green Data Center EvoSwitch as Internet HUB for Europe

22 June 2009 Evoswitch generously supports reach and access to the Wikimedia projects by providing data center space.

Wikimedia Foundation announces important licensing change for Wikipedia and its sister projects

21 May 2009 Adoption of Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License will support greater interoperability and re-usability of Wikimedia content. The current GNU Free Documentation License will continue to be supported.

Orange forms world’s first mobile and internet partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation

22 April 2009 Orange and the Wikimedia Foundation announced a wide-ranging strategic partnership designed to mutually benefit each organization’s users by extending the way people can access free knowledge.

Roger McNamee to Become Wikimedia Advisor

13 January 2009 Media and entertainment investment pioneer joins non-profit's Advisory Board.

Wikipedia fundraising campaign surpasses $6 million USD goal

2 January 2009 Over 125,000 donors worldwide show their support for the non-profit encyclopedia.

Neeru Khosla to Become Wikimedia Advisor

15 December 2008 Philanthropist and education pioneer joins non-profit's Advisory Board.

Wikimedia Foundation applauds IWF decision to reverse Wikipedia censorship in the United Kingdom

9 December 2008 Removal from Internet blacklist will also allow UK Wikipedia users to resume editing.

Censorship in the United Kingdom disenfranchises tens of thousands of Wikipedia editors

7 December 2008 Wikimedia Foundation opposes action by internet watchdog group to blacklist encyclopedia article.

Wikipedia to become more user-friendly for new volunteer writers

3 December 2008 The Wikimedia Foundation has received a grant from the U.S.-based Stanton Foundation to make Wikipedia's writing and editing interface easier to use for first-time authors..

Wikimedia Foundation Launches Annual Campaign to Support Wikipedia

5 November 2008 The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia, officially launched its Fifth Annual Giving Campaign today. The goal of the global campaign is to raise $6 million to fund the Foundation's 2008-09 operating costs, including projects aimed at encouraging new people to edit the encyclopedia, and at increasing its quality.

SOS Children UK and the Wikimedia Foundation announce the 2008/9 Wikipedia Selection for Schools

22 October 2008 SOS Children UK, in coordination with the Wikimedia Foundation, has released a complete 2008/9 revision of the Wikipedia Selection for Schools, which is perhaps the most successful "checked content" project derived from the English Wikipedia.

Wikimedia Foundation Announces New Appointments to Board of Trustees

17 July 2008 Earlier today the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees Vice-Chair, Jan-Bart De Vreede announced important changes to the Board, including the selection of a new Chair, and appointment of the newest community-elected member.

Wikimedians Around the World Prepare for Wikimania 2008

9 July 2008 Next week hundreds of Wikimedia volunteers and enthusiasts will converge at the historic center of global knowledge and wisdom, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt, for the fourth annual Wikimania conference.

Board of Trustees announces appointment of new Board Treasurer

22 April 2008 The Board of Trustees has appointed Stuart West as the new board treasurer. West brings new financial experience and skill to the Board of Trustees.

Wikipedia Hits Milestone of Ten Million Articles Across 250 Languages

28 March 2008 Hungarian biography of 16th century painter Nicholas Hilliard has been declared the ten millionth article.

Wikimedia Foundation Receives $500K Donation

27 March 2008 The Wikimedia Foundation announces an unrestricted donation of $500K from philanthropists Vinod and Neeru Khosla.

Sloan Foundation to support Wikipedia's quality and growth initiatives

25 March 2008 The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation today announced it is awarding $3 million of support to the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization which operates the world's largest and most popular encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Wikimedia Foundation announces new CFOO; Heads of Business Development and Communications

29 January 2008 The Wikimedia Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of three new staff members: Veronique Kessler, Chief Financial and Operating Officer (CFOO); Kul Takanao Wadhwa, Head of Business Development; and Jay Walsh, Head of Communications.

Wikimedia Foundation and UNU-MERIT announce First Survey of Wikipedians

24 January 2008 The Wikimedia Foundation and the Collaborative Creativity Group at UNU-MERIT [a joint research and training centre of United Nations University (UNU) and Maastricht University] are pleased to announce a collaboration to conduct the first-ever, comprehensive Wikipedia survey.

Wikipedia Invites Users to Take Part in Open, Collaborative Video Experiment

17 January 2008 The Wikimedia Foundation, Kaltura and WikiEducator have announced a beta program to allow users to create collaborative video and other forms of rich media. Under this project, users will be invited to test new functionality that could one day enable Wikipedia articles to include collaboratively created video, audio, animations, and slideshows as well as text and images.

Wikimedia Foundation Hires Deputy Director

9 January 2008 The Wikimedia Foundation today announced the appointment of Erik Moeller as Deputy Director, effective January 10, 2008.

Archived releases: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004

Materials

• Wikimedia visual identity guidelines
• 2007/2008 Annual Report
• September 2009 Key Facts (PDF)
• Awards and trophies
• Broadcast quality PSAs and audio content.
• Statistics: Article growth and user numbers · Other statistics
• Recent media contact
• Recent speaking engagements

Request for Proposals

• 2009/2010 Wikimedia Foundation Communications Support (PDF)

Contacts

Head of Communications

Please note: The following contact information is for media relations requests only. For all general, public inquiries or concerns, please use Wikimedia Foundation contact us page.

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Current events

• Keep yourself informed about Wikimedia events!

The local chapters listed below are independent associations with no legal control of or responsibility for the websites of the Wikimedia Foundation and vice versa. Local chapters and their representatives do not speak in an official capacity on behalf of the Wikimedia Foundation. These contacts are only given for convenience of the press.

The following individuals are long time Wikipedians. Some speak officially for the Wikimedia Foundation, others do not. However, all can provide you with an interesting interview, and insight into our projects. To obtain a interview contact for areas or languages not listed here, please talk to Jay at the Wikimedia Foundation office.