The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.

The information on Wikipedia is created and curated by hundreds of thousands of volunteers around the world. Together, they compile and share information on notable subjects — citing reliable sources such as newspaper articles and peer-reviewed journals — according to the encyclopedia’s editorial policies and guidelines, which are also developed by volunteers.

Volunteers will discuss, debate, and often disagree until a shared consensus can be reached on what content to include on Wikipedia. A Universal Code of Conduct provides constructive guidelines and shared standards for these conversations.

The Wikimedia Foundation does not have an editorial role on Wikipedia.

Yes, anyone can edit and improve Wikipedia, as long as they learn how and uphold its policies. In fact, the more humans take part in Wikipedia, the better the internet’s knowledge becomes. We encourage Wikipedia readers to engage as editors and contribute to the mission of making free, reliable knowledge available for all. Visit this page to learn more and get started.  

Wikipedia has long-standing policies to ensure information is presented as accurately and impartially as possible. One of the oldest and most fundamental pillars of Wikipedia is that it must be written from a neutral point of view. This means that all encyclopedic content on Wikipedia must be attributed to a reliable source and presented fairly; proportionately; and, as far as possible, without editorial bias. Additionally, only encyclopedic content is allowed on Wikipedia. Personal experiences, opinions, or original research are not permitted.

The Wikimedia Foundation generally does not write, edit, or determine what content is included on Wikipedia or how that content is maintained. 

Volunteers address the vast majority of content and conduct issues on Wikipedia, and they vigilantly defend against information that does not meet the site’s policies. Volunteers regularly review a feed of real-time edits to quickly address problematic changes; bots spot and revert many common forms of negative behavior on the site; and volunteer administrators (trusted Wikipedia volunteers with advanced permissions to protect Wikipedia) further investigate and address negative behavior.

The whole process of content moderation by Wikipedia volunteers is open and transparent. Everything from the way an article grows and evolves over time, to the citations used to verify the facts, to the content discussions among editors, are all publicly available on the article’s history and talk pages.

In rare instances, the Wikimedia Foundation has a Trust and Safety team that alerts and supports the volunteer community on certain cases when they are reported to them.

Yes. Every edit on Wikipedia is made transparently and can be reviewed by anyone via an article’s page history.

Wikipedia is the only top 10 most-visited website that is run by a nonprofit, the Wikimedia Foundation. The majority of its funding comes from donations, averaging $11, from readers. It does not rely on advertising, subscription fees, or selling users’ personal data for funding. This helps protect its independence by limiting the influence of any single organization or individual on Wikipedia’s content. Learn more in our donations-focused FAQ.

In addition to Wikipedia, the Wikimedia Foundation supports a number of other free knowledge projects. Learn about them on this page.

The Wikimedia Foundation is committed to protecting the safety of the volunteers worldwide who contribute to Wikipedia. Through our human rights and privacy policies, partnerships, and trainings, we have worked for many years to identify risks and provide volunteers with the support they need to protect themselves. For example: 

• We partner with a mental health center to provide support for editors facing severe pressure or persecution and provide additional support through our Mental Health Resource Center.
• Our Digital Security Resource Center educates volunteers on risks and provides resources.
• We collect very little personal information about Wikipedia readers and contributors. 
• For over a decade, we have maintained a legal fees assistance program that can be available for regular editors and volunteers in administrative or similar roles facing legal threats.

We invite anyone — including you — to edit and improve Wikipedia. You do not need to create an account to get started, and every edit helps improve the site. You can also join the conversation with other volunteers on the article’s talk page to help shape the content together. Learn about other options for reporting issues on Wikipedia on this page.