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Wikimedia Endowment

Annual Giving
$2.9M
Grant Range
$250K - $1.5M

Wikimedia Endowment

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2.9 million (FY 2023-2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (strategic grantmaking)
  • Decision Time: Board determines timing
  • Grant Range: $250,000 - $1,500,000
  • Geographic Focus: International (Wikimedia projects worldwide)
  • Endowment Value: $144 million (as of June 2024)

Contact Details

Address: 1 Sansome Street, Suite 1895, San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: +1 415-541-3506 ext. 6863
Email: endowment@wikimedia.org
Website: https://wikimediaendowment.org/

Overview

The Wikimedia Endowment was launched in January 2016 on Wikipedia's 15th anniversary as a Collective Action Fund with the Tides Foundation, with an initial goal of raising $100 million by 2026—a target reached in June 2021. The organization became an independent 501(c)(3) in 2022 to support its next chapter of development. As of June 2024, the Endowment is valued at $144 million. Its mission is to support Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects in perpetuity, serving as both a safety net during uncertain times and a springboard for growth and innovation during prosperous periods. The Endowment follows a 4% spending policy based on a rolling three-year average of its portfolio value. In 2023, the Endowment reached a milestone allowing it to begin using investment income to fund grants, focusing specifically on technical innovation to keep Wikimedia projects relevant in a rapidly-evolving technological landscape.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Wikimedia Endowment makes strategic grants to support technical innovation across Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects. Funding is determined by the Grantmaking and Community Committee in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation's Chief Product and Technology Officer.

Recent Grant Recipients:

FY 2022-2023 (Total: $3.2 million in technical innovation grants):

  • Wikidata: $1,000,000 - Multilingual knowledge base integrated with Wikipedia
  • Abstract Wikipedia & Wikifunctions: $1,000,000 - Building language-independent knowledge base
  • Machine Learning: $950,000 - Leveraging AI for content quality and misinformation combat
  • Kiwix: $250,000 - Offline access platform for regions with limited internet

FY 2023-2024 (Total: $2,878,345 in programmatic funding):

  • MediaWiki improvements: $1,500,000
  • Abstract Wikipedia: $600,000
  • Future Audiences initiatives: $500,000
  • Kiwix: $278,375

FY 2024-2025 (Third grant round approved June 2025):

  • Support for Abstract Wikipedia, Kiwix, AI/Machine Learning systems, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata
  • Fourth grant round approved July 2025 with budget up to $3.5 million

Priority Areas

The Endowment's funding focus emerged from extensive donor interviews, with technical innovation as the dominant theme. Priority areas include:

  • Technical infrastructure that ensures Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects remain relevant during rapid technological change
  • Language accessibility through projects like Abstract Wikipedia that expand knowledge across languages
  • Offline access to enable use in regions with limited internet connectivity
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to maintain content quality, accuracy, and combat misinformation
  • Knowledge infrastructure such as Wikidata that strengthens interconnected information systems
  • MediaWiki platform improvements that support the technical foundation of all projects

Projects are selected based on their ability to foster greater technical innovation on Wikimedia projects, crucial to keeping the sites relevant in a rapidly-evolving landscape. Grants align with current priorities in the Wikimedia Foundation annual plan and technical roadmap, supporting both existing work and new innovation done in collaboration with volunteers.

What They Don't Fund

The Wikimedia Endowment does not:

  • Accept public grant applications from organizations outside the Wikimedia ecosystem
  • Fund projects unrelated to Wikimedia technical infrastructure
  • Support general programmatic work or community grants (these are handled separately by the Wikimedia Foundation)

Governance and Leadership

Board Leadership:

  • Jimmy Wales - Board Chair and Wikipedia founder (reserved seat)
  • Lisa Seitz-Gruwell - President of the Wikimedia Endowment

Board Members:

  • Phoebe Ayers - Chair of Grantmaking and Community Committee; Academic reference librarian at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former community-elected Wikimedia Foundation board member
  • Alexander M. Farman-Farmaian - Vice Chairman, Partner and Portfolio Manager at Edgewood Management
  • Mayree Clark - Former director of the Stanford University Endowment with background in investment banking, equity research, and investment management
  • Doron Weber - Vice President of Programs, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
  • Kevin Bonebrake and Ike Kier - At-Large Directors (appointed July 2025)
  • Patricio Lorente - Member of Grantmaking and Community Committee

Board members serve three-year terms and may serve up to three terms. All members serve as volunteers and are selected based on active involvement in philanthropic endeavors, nonprofit board experience, fundraising and investment expertise, and strong commitment to the Wikimedia mission. The Board convenes twice per year, with options for in-person or virtual attendance.

Key Quote from Leadership:

Lisa Seitz-Gruwell, President: "The Wikimedia Endowment uniquely balances immediate and long-term impact — improving key Wikimedia projects today while safeguarding the broader knowledge ecosystem for future generations."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Wikimedia Endowment does not have a public application process. Grants are made strategically through board decisions rather than competitive applications from external organizations.

The grantmaking process works as follows:

  1. The Grantmaking and Community Committee develops funding recommendations in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation's Chief Product and Technology Officer
  2. Projects are selected that align with the Foundation's annual plan and technical roadmap
  3. The Committee presents recommendations to the full Endowment Board for approval
  4. Grants support projects already identified as priorities for the Wikimedia Foundation and community

The Endowment Board conducted interviews with donors to determine funding priorities, with technical innovation emerging as the central theme. Projects chosen represent current and existing work being done to improve and innovate Wikimedia projects in collaboration with volunteers.

Decision Timeline

  • Board meets twice annually to review and approve grants
  • Recent grant rounds have been approved in January 2023, June 2024, June 2025, and July 2025
  • The Endowment follows a fiscal year running from July 1 to June 30

Success Rates

Not applicable - grants are made through strategic board decisions rather than competitive application processes.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - there is no public application process.

Application Success Factors

While there is no public application process, the Endowment's documented funding approach provides insights into what drives their strategic decisions:

Strategic Alignment with Wikimedia Priorities: The Endowment explicitly states that "projects that are current priorities for the Wikimedia Foundation and community were chosen for support, in alignment with the existing Foundation annual plan and technical roadmap." Organizations or projects already working within the Wikimedia ecosystem have the strongest positioning.

Focus on Technical Innovation: Donor interviews revealed that "the theme that emerged was a focus on funding technical innovation, so that the Wikimedia Projects stay relevant in a time of rapid technological change." All funded projects demonstrate clear technical advancement of the platform.

Demonstrated Impact on Multiple Languages/Global Access: Funded projects like Abstract Wikipedia (language-independent knowledge), Wikidata (multilingual knowledge base), and Kiwix (offline access for limited-connectivity regions) show strong emphasis on global accessibility and multilingual support.

Collaboration with Volunteer Community: The Endowment emphasizes supporting "work being done to improve and innovate on Wikimedia projects in collaboration with volunteers," indicating that projects must fit within the collaborative model of the Wikimedia movement.

Long-term Sustainability: As an endowment designed to support projects "in perpetuity," funding decisions favor infrastructure and innovation that will have lasting impact rather than short-term programmatic work.

Recent Examples of Funded Work:

  • Wikidata received $1 million for strengthening interconnected knowledge infrastructure
  • MediaWiki improvements received $1.5 million for platform enhancements
  • Machine Learning projects received funding to leverage AI for content quality and misinformation detection
  • Kiwix received multiple grants supporting offline Wikipedia access in underserved regions

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists - The Wikimedia Endowment makes strategic grants through board decisions, not competitive applications
  • Work within the Wikimedia ecosystem - All grants support Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, etc.) rather than external organizations
  • Technical innovation is the core priority - 100% of grants focus on advancing the technical infrastructure and capabilities of Wikimedia projects
  • Alignment with Foundation priorities is essential - Projects must fit within the Wikimedia Foundation's annual plan and technical roadmap
  • Multi-year support is possible - Projects like Kiwix and Abstract Wikipedia have received funding across multiple fiscal years
  • Grant sizes range significantly - From $250,000 to $1.5 million depending on project scope and impact
  • Board decides timing - Grant rounds are approved at board meetings (typically twice annually), not on fixed application deadlines

References

All sources accessed December 2025

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