Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organization that hosts several free knowledge projects, most notably Wikipedia. The brand originated in the United States, founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in 2003 as a way to steward the growth of community-led knowledge exchange. Unlike traditional corporations, Wikimedia operates as a global movement with infrastructure spread across various international data centers.

While the primary server infrastructure and headquarters are located in the United States, the platform's content and administration are managed by a decentralized global community. The ultimate ownership remains with the Wikimedia Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to making educational content available for free to the public. The organization is funded primarily through donations from millions of individuals around the world.