Who owns Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is owned by Wikimedia Foundation (the United States).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Wikimedia Foundation — about, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, San Francisco, California
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Founded
- 2001
- Category
- Internet & digital › Digital services › Reference & knowledge
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Wikipedia
Wikipedia is among the most visited websites in the world and carries no advertising, which makes its ownership unusual: a non-profit holds the servers and the name while unpaid volunteers write and govern the content. It exists in more than three hundred languages.
Ownership timeline of Wikipedia
- Current owner Wikimedia Foundation [1] reported
Where Wikipedia sits in Wikimedia Foundation
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Wikimedia Foundation ownership tree →
See the full Wikimedia Foundation brand portfolio (3) →
Other brands owned by Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation controls 3 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in internet & digital.
Also in internet & digital
- Wikimedia Commons (2004)
- Wiktionary (2002)
Other brands in reference & knowledge, and who owns them
The 15 brands in reference & knowledge on Brandtree belong to 9 owners. The largest is Baidu, with 3; Wikimedia Foundation has 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Baidu Experience | Baidu | 🇨🇳 China |
| Encyclopaedia Britannica | Britannica | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Podchaser | Acast | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| PetMD | Chewy | 🇺🇸 United States |
| OccasionGenius | Hostelworld Group | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
| Youdao | NetEase | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
| Penger.no | Schibsted Media | 🇳🇴 Norway |
| Reclame Aqui | StoneCo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
About the owner: Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation is a trust-owned company headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, founded in 2003. Brandtree records 3 brands under its control.
The Wikimedia Foundation is an American non-profit created in 2003 to hold the infrastructure and trademarks behind Wikipedia. It does not write or control the encyclopaedia, which is edited by volunteers, and it is funded almost entirely by small donations rather than by advertising.
Wikimedia Foundation: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Wikipedia and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Wikipedia is not one of them.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Wikipedia?
The parent company of Wikipedia is Wikimedia Foundation, a trust-owned company headquartered in the United States.
Is Wikipedia American?
Yes. Wikipedia originated in the United States in 2001 and its owner, Wikimedia Foundation, is also headquartered in the United States.
Is Wikipedia still owned by Wikimedia Foundation?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Wikipedia is still owned by Wikimedia Foundation. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Wikimedia Foundation — about — Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Official document; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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