Wikimedia Foundation

The Wikimedia Foundation launched Strategy 2030, a comprehensive plan to guide the movement towards becoming the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge. The strategy emphasized inclusivity, community health, and technological innovation to ensure the sustainability and growth of Wikimedia projects.

Katherine Maher was appointed as the Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation. Her leadership focused on increasing diversity, improving technology infrastructure, and expanding the reach of Wikimedia projects globally. Maher's appointment marked a new phase of strategic growth for the foundation.

Wikipedia Zero was an initiative launched by the Wikimedia Foundation to provide free access to Wikipedia on mobile phones in developing countries. The program aimed to reduce barriers to information access by partnering with mobile operators to waive data charges for accessing Wikipedia.

Wikidata was launched as a new project by the Wikimedia Foundation to serve as a free and open knowledge base that can be read and edited by both humans and machines. It was designed to centralize access to data across all Wikimedia projects, improving data consistency and accessibility.

The Wikimedia Foundation received a significant grant of $2 million from Google. This funding was intended to support the foundation's mission of providing free access to knowledge and to help improve the infrastructure of Wikipedia and its sister projects. The grant underscored the importance of Wikipedia as a global resource.

The Wikipedia Usability Initiative was launched to improve the user interface and accessibility of Wikipedia. Funded by a grant from the Stanton Foundation, the initiative aimed to make it easier for new users to edit and contribute to Wikipedia, thereby increasing participation and content quality.

In 2007, the Wikimedia Foundation moved its headquarters from St. Petersburg, Florida, to San Francisco, California. This relocation was part of a strategic decision to position the foundation closer to the technology hub of Silicon Valley, facilitating better collaboration with tech companies and access to a larger pool of talent.

The Wikimedia Foundation established an Advisory Board to provide strategic advice on its operations and projects. The board consisted of experts from various fields, including technology, education, and law, who contributed their knowledge to help guide the foundation's growth and development.

Wikimedia Commons was launched as a repository of free-use images, sound, and other media files. It was created to centralize and organize media files for use across all Wikimedia projects. This initiative significantly enhanced the multimedia content available on Wikipedia and other platforms, promoting the sharing of free knowledge.

The Wikimedia Foundation was officially founded as a non-profit organization to support Wikipedia and its sister projects. Established by Jimmy Wales, the foundation was created to ensure the sustainability and growth of the free knowledge movement. It was set up to manage the operations, fundraising, and legal aspects of the projects.