The Wikimedia Foundation was founded in 2003.
Before the foundation existed, Wikipedia and related projects were hosted and funded through Bomis, Jimmy Wales’s for-profit company. As Wikipedia grew, its community needed an independent organization to manage the project’s domains, trademarks, servers, fundraising, and long-term mission.
The foundation was incorporated in St. Petersburg, Florida, on June 20, 2003. It became a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity in 2005, allowing qualifying donations to be tax-deductible in the United States. Its headquarters later moved to San Francisco.
A common mix-up is confusing the foundation’s founding year with Wikipedia’s launch year. Wikipedia went live on January 15, 2001, more than two years before the Wikimedia Foundation was created. The foundation does not write Wikipedia’s articles; volunteer editors create and maintain content, while the foundation provides technical, legal, fundraising, and organizational support. It also hosts sister projects such as Wikimedia Commons, Wiktionary, Wikidata, and Wikisource.