On this page, we present the programs we use to implement WMDE's strategic goals. The programs each work towards one to three strategic goals. In individual cases, they also directly address the overarching priorities. In the programs, we set success criteria for each year that make it clear what change we want to achieve in that year - and how we can determine whether we are succeeding.
Assignment of programs and functional teams to the strategic goals 2026
Illustration von Wikimedia Deutschland's Strategischer Zielarbeit im Jahr 2026
Changes made to the program objectives during the year are also documented here, ensuring that this page always reflects the most recent approved version of the plan. Previous versions can be viewed via the version history or past quarterly reports.
In order to make the best possible contribution to free knowledge, Wikimedia project volunteers should have access to financial and organizational support from Wikimedia Deutschland. The Volunteer Support program creates a space in which volunteers from the communities can implement their own ideas and projects. Support for volunteers is geared towards their needs and takes two different forms. The first consists of services for individuals such as providing access to specialist literature, loaning out technical equipment, reimbursement of travel expenses and confirmation of their volunteer work. The second comprises the association's financial and organizational support for projects and events. We provide hundreds of these forms of support each year and reimburse volunteers for the costs of their work. We are continuing to develop the community support infrastructure and working on easy access to support services.
Strategic Goal 4 – Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Volunteers can rely on financial and organizational support from Wikimedia Deutschland for their diverse expressions of commitment to free knowledge.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Those receiving support continue to rate WMDE support (individual & project support) very positively (average rating at least 9 out of 10 on the volunteer support barometer).
- One third of the scholarships for Wikimania 2026 were awarded to volunteers who have only participated in Wikimania up to 2 times and at least 85% of all those receiving support rate the scholarship program as helpful for their volunteer work.
- 20 events organized by local groups to mark Wikipedia's 25th birthday were supported following applications for specific WP25 support.
- Communication was sent to at least 10 potential partners to expand the offer for The Wikipedia Library.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Volunteer support is defined together with volunteers based on their needs.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - The new Community Support advisory group has been successfully tested. The group's recommendations for improvements in support are decided on with regard to their implementation and shared with the community.
- The support needs of those community members interested in the technological aspects have analyzed and new support offers or communication measures have been derived from this.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Volunteers will have even easier access to the support services.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Taking accessibility into account, the support pages are being made clearer and simpler in coordination with WMAT and WMCH. To this end, a user journey from need to application for support will be completed in 2026 and simplifications will be implemented.
-Regular, low-threshold advice on support is now being offered and evaluated.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: More volunteers are now aware of WMDE's support offers.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - A congratulatory campaign to mark Wikipedia's 25th birthday achieves 2500 page views on the landing page and also provides information about support services.
- New places and ways in which support can be permanently advertised on Wikipedia beyond individual measures have been identified and used.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The support is used by diverse groups.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 39% of those receiving support identify as female or non-binary.
- Targeted measures to promote support to previously marginalized individuals, groups or networks have been successfully implemented.
In addition to creating content, many community members perform important volunteer work as multipliers. This work ensures that the communities remain stable and self-organized. It includes supporting other community members in conflict situations, conveying skills and knowledge, initiating further development of strategies and projects, working on collaborations, and organizing rooms, events and projects for community participation. Multipliers play an important role in attracting and involving new people, while also strengthening diversity in the projects. We help develop the communities' capacity with process support, networking, facilitation, advice, prepared information and other offers extending beyond the existing volunteer support programs. We support potential multipliers in taking on new roles.
Strategic Goal 3 – Respectful Communication
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Community members who are active multipliers can use our impetus to better reflect on developments in the community and take action to bring about change.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We have monitored discussions on Wikipedia, particularly on the topics of governance, rules and AI, provided support where necessary and offered spaces for reflection.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Suitable support services help active multipliers perform their roles more effectively.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Young volunteers in the Wikimedia projects have received support in the form of at least one measure each in the areas of onboarding/networking, knowledge management and qualification, with particular emphasis on reducing barriers for people from marginalized groups.
-Users with extended rights (especially admins and the support team) have made use of our needs-oriented support (training, exchange formats, advice, etc.). Three offers have been implemented as part of the ongoing exchange with the community and in cooperation with other teams (e.g., Support and Consultancy).
-Mattermost has become a communication hub that facilitates and strengthens project collaboration for further community groups.
Strategic Goal 4 – Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Community members who are active multipliers can use our impetus to better reflect on developments in the community and take action to bring about change.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We have monitored discussions on Wikipedia, particularly on the topics of governance, rules and AI, provided support where necessary and offered spaces for reflection.
- Community members interested in WMDE, community and movement topics have received prepared information and contact options at least twice a month via formats such as the community portal or the community forum, which they use for their involvement in the Wikimedia projects.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Suitable support services help active multipliers perform their roles more effectively.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We have accompanied and supported multipliers who are involved in FLINTA* networks (e.g., FemNetz) within Wikimedia projects and communities in their work and development. To strengthen multipliers and relieve the burden on them, other people from the network should also take on multiplier activities. At least three needs-based formats are developed and implemented in consultation with the community.
- Young volunteers in the Wikimedia projects have received support in the form of at least one measure each in the areas of onboarding/networking, knowledge management and qualification, with particular emphasis on reducing barriers for people from marginalized groups.
- Users with extended rights (especially admins and the support team) have made use of our needs-oriented support (training, exchange formats, advice, etc.). Three offers have been implemented as part of the ongoing exchange with the community and in cooperation with other teams (e.g., Support and Consultancy).
- Mattermost has become a communication hub that facilitates and strengthens project collaboration for further community groups.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Increase the visibility of active, potential and new multipliers and identify their engagement needs.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - The "On the road with Wikipedia" format has helped us create opportunities for community members to open up new fields of activity with a multiplier effect.
- We have supported community members who are involved in technical support (e.g., user rights, scripts, templates) and strengthened their networking with each other. At least one live meeting has taken place for this purpose.
- We have increased the visibility of our work within and outside the Wikiverse as well as identified new multipliers through continuous monitoring on-wiki. In doing so, we have entered into an exchange with potential multipliers about their needs.
- On the occasion of Wikipedia's 25th anniversary, we have organized a half-day pilot event in a region that currently has small community networks to activate or revitalize community exchange on site.
People who volunteer for free knowledge or in Wikimedia projects should be able to work in a safe and respectful environment. Wikimedia Deutschland and the communities share responsibility for maintaining a positive culture of communication and conflict management that enables constructive collaboration, respectful cooperation and safe events. To promote this, Wikimedia Deutschland supplements the existing structures of the volunteer community with a wide range of advisory, educational and awareness services. These are intended to provide support in acute conflict or stressful situations and at the same time have a preventative effect by strengthening skills and supporting a culture of appreciation. The offers are available as voluntary resources to all volunteers. They are regularly evaluated and developed further.
Strategic Goal 3 - Respectful Communication
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB3.1: BeConsultancy center - the consultancy center continues to be a central, established point of contact to support the community. The consultancy center is designed and implemented in such a way that it has a positive impact on the commitment of the volunteers who have used the service, actively promotes diversity, and breaks down barriers for structurally disadvantaged groups.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I3.1.1: 80% of respondent users state that the sessions were helpful and/or supportive.
- I3.1.2: 75% of the respondent participants state that the group offer was helpful for their volunteer work.
- I3.1.3: The new open admin consultation hour format has been successfully tested and at least 50% of the consultation hours offered have been used.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB3.2: Training services - the training and qualification services have been continually developed and implemented in line with requirements. They have a positive effect on the communication culture and cooperation within the community, actively promote diversity, and break down barriers for people from structurally disadvantaged groups.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I3.2.1 (Topic coverage): The training services are based on identified community needs and cover at least 3 different topics.
- I3.2.2 (Effectiveness): 75% of participants stated in the follow-up survey that the training content provided a concrete benefit for their community cooperation.
- I3.2.3: At least 80% of participants in qualification measures with a certificate of participation or other certificate confirm that they have expanded their skills (e.g., communication skills, social skills, intervention skills) as a result of the qualification.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB3.3: Awareness work - A culture of inclusive and respectful interaction is firmly established through the systematic implementation and continuous development of all aspects of awareness work (i.e., awareness advice, awareness outreach at events, case management, training). The awareness work actively promotes diversity and breaks down barriers for structurally disadvantaged group
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I3.3.1: The awareness infrastructure has been expanded to reflect the increasing risks and the resulting rise in demand. Processing of inquiries has been optimized, a network of external service providers has been established and the awareness team has been stabilized, trained and provided further education.
- I3.3.2: The amount of awareness advice and the number of assignments has increased compared to 2025 to reflect the increased demand (baseline 2025: approx. X consultations, Y assignments).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB3.4: Evaluation & monitoring – Flexible evaluation strategies and continuous data collection serve to optimize and adapt support services.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I3.4.1: All support services have been evaluated on an ongoing basis.
- I3.4.2: A database including data on needs, satisfaction and inclusion has been continuously maintained.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB3.5: Knowledge management & communication – An optimized communication strategy has led to a significant increase in the visibility and use of support services.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I3.5.1: At least 60% of the volunteers who responded to the community survey are aware of the support services offered by the program. (next survey in 2027)
- I3.5.2: The services have been used by 20% more people on average than in 2025.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB5.1: Consultancy center - the consultancy center continues to be a central, established point of contact to support the community. The consultancy center is designed and implemented in such a way that it has a positive impact on the commitment of the volunteers who have used the service, actively promotes diversity, and breaks down barriers for structurally disadvantaged groups.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I5.1.1: The implemented accessibility measures have led to improved service accessibility.
- I5.1.2: People from marginalized groups defined in the code of interaction are aware of the counseling services.
- I5.1.3: 85% of participants have confirmed that they understand and can make good use of the content of our counseling services.
- I5.1.4: The counseling services have also been used by volunteers who have experienced discrimination.
- I5.1.5: At least 90% of respondents have confirmed that they were treated without discrimination in the meetings.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB5.2: Training services - the training and qualification services have been continually developed and implemented in line with requirements. They have a positive effect on the communication culture and cooperation within the community, actively promote diversity, and break down barriers for people from structurally disadvantaged groups.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I5.2.1: At least 70% of the recipients of training services focused on inclusion, diversity or barrier-free communication have stated that using the offer has increased their awareness of these issues.
- I5.2.2: At least 85% of respondents confirm that they can contribute to the content of the training services as they wish.
- I5.2.3: At least 85% of respondents confirm that they feel comfortable and safe during the events.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB5.3: Awareness work - A culture of inclusive and respectful interaction is firmly established through the systematic implementation and continuous development of all aspects of awareness work (i.e., awareness advice, awareness outreach at events, case management, training). The awareness work actively promotes diversity and breaks down barriers for structurally disadvantaged groups.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I5.3.1: The awareness services have been increasingly designed to be accessible and inclusive.
- I5.3.2: The awareness teams have rated the process as successful for 90% of the awareness assignments that dealt with experiences of discrimination.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB5.4: Evaluation & monitoring – Flexible evaluation strategies and continuous data collection serve to optimize and adapt support services.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I5.4.1: Evaluation results on diversity and inclusion are available for all support services, the analysis of which serves to adapt the services in terms of reducing barriers and promoting diversity
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: OB5.5: Knowledge management & communication – An optimized communication strategy has led to a significant increase in the visibility and use of support services.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - I5.5.1: Online communication is increasingly accessible and inclusive.
Visitors can not only use Wikipedia and its fellow projects on the net, but also experience them live! There are spaces on site in Berlin, Fürth, Hanover, Cologne, Munich and Neu-Ulm. Volunteers open their doors, work on joint projects and are happy to explain free knowledge projects to guests in these spaces. We finance these spaces and advise the local groups on their projects.
Strategic Goal 4 - Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The volunteer organization teams of the local community spaces feel supported in their work by way of continuous and trusting cooperation with Wikimedia Deutschland.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - The local organizing teams and WMDE meet at least once a quarter for mutual information and inspiration for their projects on free knowledge as well as for reflection on the cooperation. In the meantime, they exchange information via chat, video conferencing and other formats on an ongoing basis.
- WMDE regularly advises local organization teams on the formulation, implementation and evaluation of their own goals. The Local Spaces teams have received support from WMDE as required to achieve the goals they have set themselves. The advice and support is seen as helpful.
Many of those who contribute to free knowledge in their spare time also leave their screens to meet up in person. The largest meeting in the German-speaking world is WikiCon. The two largest specialist conferences are AdminCon and FemNetzCon. All three formats arose from the community's desire and need to come together, discuss their favorite topics, plan joint activities and feel like they are part of a community. The community conferences are therefore important elements in the infrastructure of free knowledge and provide volunteers motivation for their commitment. We realize the conferences together with volunteers. We take responsibility for organization, logistics and implementation.
Strategic Goal 4 - Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Together with the communities, we organize conferences in which volunteers can share their experience and strengthen their motivation to get involved.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 80% of AdminCon 2026 participants rate the participation and professional exchange as helpful for their commitment.
- The number of admins among registered community members is increasing and accounts for at least two thirds of those registered.
- At least 90% of participants have rated WikiCon 2026 as providing a motivational boost for their volunteer work.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The goals defined by the volunteer organizing teams for the number of participants at the conferences are achieved so that as many people as possible benefit from networking and sharing at the conferences.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Registrations at least match the total number of on-site spots available for each conference (i.e., AdminCon and WikiCon in this case).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The Community Conferences are increasingly accessible and inclusive.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 90% of all participants experience the community conferences (i.e., AdminCon and WikiCon in this case) as spaces in which they feel comfortable and safe and can therefore exchange ideas openly.
- The proportion of WikiCon participants between the ages of 18 and 30 has increased from 11% to at least 14%.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Together with the communities, we organize conferences in which volunteers can share their experience and strengthen their motivation to get involved.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 90% of FemNetzCon 2026 participants rate their participation as having strengthened their connection to the network.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The goals defined by the volunteer organizing teams for the number of participants at the conferences are achieved so that as many people as possible benefit from networking and sharing at the conferences.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Registrations at least match the total number of on-site spots available for each conference (i.e., FemNetzCon in this case).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The Community Conferences are increasingly accessible and inclusive.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 90% of all participants experience the community conferences (i.e., FemNetzCon in this case) as spaces in which they feel comfortable and safe and can therefore exchange ideas openly.
No new collaboration would be possible without an understanding of the value of free knowledge, how the Wikimedia projects work, and how they originated. We therefore ensure visibility, show appreciation for existing volunteer work, and invite new people to get involved through our communications and campaigns. We provide help in the form of information and low-level incentives, to encourage them to try it out and get involved. To ensure that this participation and "trying out" leads to lasting involvement, we develop learning materials together with volunteers, to explain not only the technical but also the cultural and social structure of Wikipedia. We collaborate with the community on improving the framework conditions to make long-term involvement more attractive, and we highlight ways to get involved that go beyond editing.
Strategic Goal 4 - Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Those who are interested feel encouraged to actively participate in Wikipedia by WMDE's communication work.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We have reached 4,000 new registrations for the Wikipedia Challenge or for another introductory offer, and 50% of them use further offers like Wiki Post.
- 200 recipients of our information services register on Wikipedia.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Interested people in new target groups become aware of Wikipedia through cooperation with partners and participate.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We have tested the success of Wikipedia's mediation with at least one cooperation in the university sector to see whether this can help us attract more new interested people.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Newly registered users receive onboarding help and become new returning users on Wikipedia.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We reach at least 5,000 users who have made no or few edits with up-to-date and optimized onboarding offers.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: More experienced community members are involved in supporting inexperienced participants.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 15 experienced community members support at least 20 new or less experienced participants to help integrate them into the community at on-site exchange formats that we have initiated. Both groups have stated that this strengthens their respective involvement in Wikipedia.
- The trainers' network has grown by 10% (26 as of 09/2025), the number of guides has remained stable (45 as of 09/2025).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Community members in supporting roles benefit from networking and training to better integrate new participants.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Networking and training offerings for supporters have been accepted, rated as helpful by 80% of participants, or lead to an improvement in the onboarding of new participants.
We campaign for open and free access to cultural heritage and open cultural content and data. In doing so, we build on close cooperation with those who work with the volunteers of the Wikimedia projects and who would like to promote openness in their professional contexts. At the same time, we support volunteers in the Wikimedia communities in gaining access to cultural heritage and contributing to free knowledge. We take the following two approaches to this:
With our community-based approach, we support and develop formats, campaigns, and projects by and for the volunteers together with the Wikimedia community. We see our task in facilitating volunteers' access to cultural and memorial institutions (i.e., to cultural heritage in its diverse forms) and establishing contact and relationships with GLAM institutions.
In our institution-based approach, we base our work on the needs and wishes of the institutions. We create structures so that GLAM professionals can network and collaborate on the topic of "open cultural data". We focus on strategic partnerships, provide advice and support in developing capacity for data donations and participation in Wikimedia projects.
Strategic Goal 4 - Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: People from the GLAM wiki community as well as cultural and memory institutions work together to make knowledge from these institutions freely usable via the Wikimedia projects.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - With formats like GLAM on Tour or GLAM digital, we achieve at least 300 participations by at least 150 different people from the Wikimedia community as well as cultural and memory institutions.
- At least 15% of the participants in the event formats offered had not taken part in the previous two years.
- In at least 5 cases, the GLAM wiki community and cultural and memory institutions work together in a self-organized way by doing the following, for example: - organizing events on their own initiative; - contributing content to Wikimedia projects on a larger scale; - establishing long-term collaboration with local spaces or communities.
- At least 50 stakeholders from cultural and memory institutions take part in training courses and introductions to the Wikimedia projects.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: People in cultural and memory institutions are helping to make the knowledge of structurally disadvantaged groups visible, connected and usable with the Wikimedia projects.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - A meeting has taken place between cultural and memory institutions and initiatives of structurally disadvantaged groups that deal with the digital availability of their knowledge.
- In at least 2 projects or activities, people are committed to increasing visibility of the history of structurally disadvantaged groups in the Wikimedia projects.
Strategic Goal 8 - More free knowledge in publicly funded institutions
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: (Future) cultural heritage professionals are familiar with Wikidata and open practices. They integrate them into their work processes and/or initiate projects independently.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We conduct at least 6 consultations with experts from the cultural heritage sector who want to set up and implement wiki(data) projects.
- We conduct at least 4 initial meetings to establish a longer-term collaboration.
- This results in at least one cooperation.
- Our advice and cooperation with partners is seen as useful by them.
- We conduct at least one pilot event at a university and document this work.
- Wikimedia develops and publishes - also in cooperation with the WikiKult community - publications, learning and information materials on Linked Open Data and the use of Wikidata in the cultural heritage sector.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The WikiKult community establishes its activities, expands its expertise and strengthens its role as a multiplier.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Up to 10 WikiKult Jour Flex take place.
- A network meeting with 20-30 participants takes place.
- The WikiKult community develops - with the support of WMDE - its own products/projects (further).
- Members of the WikiKult community present these products/projects in relevant networks, at conferences and promote open cultural data practices.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: More decision-makers in cultural and heritage organizations know and understand our issues. Individual stakeholders actively work with us to promote open cultural heritage.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - To recruit supporters of the TAROCH initiative in Germany, we conduct at least 5 interviews with relevant actors in cultural and memory organizations.
- We are in direct contact with the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media regarding German support for the TAROCH initiative at Unesco
- To strengthen its cultural policy profile, Wikimedia is exploring further formats for building relationships and exerting influence in the cultural policy field (e.g. involvement in committees, associations, etc.).
What finds its way into the body of knowledge and official accounts is determined to a large extent by questions of power. This applies just as much to archives, museums and media as it does to open, collaborative projects such as Wikipedia. We are working to ensure that Wikimedia projects reflect the knowledge and perspectives of people who experience structural discrimination, thereby contributing to greater social equity. We work with people from marginalized communities and the Wikimedia communities to this end.
Strategic Goal 4 - Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: People from marginalized groups take initial steps towards contributing to Wikimedia projects.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 50 people from marginalized groups have taken part in advisory and training offerings on working with the Wikimedia projects.
- At least 10 percent of participants take part in Wikimedia projects or Wikimedia Deutschland activities in the 12 months following the training (baseline: participants in "Your knowledge counts!" in 2025).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: More people get involved in projects or activities that aim to make marginalized perspectives visible in free knowledge.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 30 people from the Wikimedia community have taken part in advisory and training services on working with marginalized knowledge.
- At least 40 people have been involved in activities such as edit-a-thons to support marginalized perspectives in Wikimedia projects.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Marginalized groups (and parts of the community) join forces to support each other in their work with free knowledge.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - In at least 5 cases, people have started cooperation at the interface between marginalized and free knowledge.
- In at least one case, people have met on an ongoing basis in a self-organized group to support each other.
With the "Wikipedia Participation & Use" program, we intend to sustainably strengthen reader loyalty to the German-language Wikipedia. Together with the community, we develop strategies and measures to better integrate the needs and interests of the readers of the German-language Wikipedia into strategic and organizational processes. To this end, we seek to gain a better understanding of the usage behavior and expectations of our readership, and develop new exchange formats that specifically address the needs of Wikipedia readers and promote their active participation.
Strategic Goal 6 - More End Users
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: We have well-founded information that we can use to develop reader retention measures together with the community and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - A meta-analysis of the existing key research projects and data is available.
- Qualitative methods have been conducted with at least 30 people in order to understand the subjective experiences and motives of the readers.
- The results of a representative survey of German-speaking Wikipedia readers have been evaluated. At least 3,500 readers across a wide range of demographic characteristics have participated in an online survey.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: We generate more attention and awareness for the needs of readers in the movement to work together on the further development of Wikipedia.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We have developed and implemented at least two knowledge transfer measures that make it easier to transfer findings about readers into volunteer practice. At least 5 key research results have been presented in an interesting and understandable way, and disseminated through various knowledge transfer measures.
- We have identified members of the community who would like to work on the topic and supported at least one format for exchanging ideas with each other.
- The key findings on readers have been recognized and discussed by at least 90 community members.
- Dialog between communities and readers has been initiated to strengthen the relationship.
With the Technical Wishes project, we are improving MediaWiki – the software behind Wikipedia and its sister projects – to make the volunteers' work easier. The collaboration with the Wikimedia communities is a central part of this effort. We are working on focus areas chosen by the German-speaking community, aiming to find solutions beneficial to the whole Wikimedia movement.
Strategic Goal 4 – Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Contributors across experience levels have the tools to be able to more effectively create and manage references resulting in increased constructive reference edits.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - The percentage of newcomers that have successfully published their first reference using Visual Editor (with or without Reference Check), that return to add another reference without Reference Check within 90 days, increases by 1%.
- At least 25% more newcomers rate their experience with adding and editing references in Visual Editor positively as measured by a targeted industry standard framework (e.g. CSAT, CES, NPS).
- At least 25% more Source Editor users rate their experience with managing references positively after our improvements, as measured by a targeted industry standard framework (e.g. CSAT, CES, NPS).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Contributors easily reuse references with sub-referencing, strengthening content verifiability across Wikipedias.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - The number of references which are similar to another on the same page and not using sub-referencing decreases year on year by 1% on the top 10 Wikipedias, as measured by article count.
Wikidata is a free knowledge graph collaboratively edited. We support the Wikidata community in creating and maintaining a trustworthy and up-to-date knowledge graph for the Wikimedia projects and the world. In 2026, we will continue to focus heavily on providing editors with everything they need to maintain high quality data, enable broad reuse of the data in Wikidata and ensure a strong social and technical foundation for Wikidata.
Strategic Goal 1 – Strong Infrastructure
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The distributed Wikibase ecosystem is more sustainable because of clear data governance policies, increased feature parity, and interoperability/smooth transitions across products.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - The data governance policies, towards our sustainability goal, have been created and are published, by end of Q1.
- We have brought together community members with advanced rights at an event by the end of Q3 and get clarity about their needs regarding data governance policies. We incorporated the prioritized needs in our planning.
- By the end of Q2, new editors have easily accessible documentation about what is desirable behaviour and content on Wikidata.
- We have explored ways of identifying and blocking more out-of-policy contributions by the end of Q4.
- We have supported the WikiCite community in identifying stakeholders and establishing the decision making process for future of the scholarly article corpus in Wikidata.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Stability, sustainability, and scalability of infrastructure has improved to ensure the long-term resilience and thriving of the Wikibase ecosystem.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - By the end of 2026, we have identified and prioritised 2 risks to address in order to maintain efficient operation of Wikidata storage infrastructure, chosen metrics to monitor those risks, established target values to achieve and have reached those targets.
Strategic Goal 4 – Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The communities of the Wikibase ecosystem continue to grow.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - By Q2, we understand the flow and activation of new and existing users of Wikidata by delivering one assumptions map covering user segments, journeys, and reasons for disengagement.
- We increase the proportion of edits on individual Items per month from mobile devices to 1.575% (Baseline: 0.98% average per month from September 2024 - September 2025).
- The number of active editors on Wikidata increases by 7%.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The quality of data on Wikidata improves.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We establish a baseline to measure data quality by the end of Q2.
- We improve on the baseline determined by end of Q2.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: There is an increased awareness of the Wikibase ecosystem, and our existing communities are actively engaged and supported.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - A minimum of 150 participants attend our XXX-day events over the course of the year.
- Four or more communities or related institutions outside of North America and Western Europe expand their Wikidata activities with our involvement.
From its beginning, Wikidata served to support the other Wikimedia projects. Wikidata stores specified Wikimedia data in a central location and helps to distribute the maintenance workload across language and project boundaries. Today, Wikidata and the other Wikimedia projects support each other intensively. It is important to WMDE to strengthen this mutually beneficial relationship, and ensure its long-term sustainability.
Strategic Goal 6 – More End Users
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Wikimedia editors have better awareness, understanding, and tools to monitor and manage Wikidata’s impact on their projects.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We identify and validate technical pathways to reduce redundant Recent Changes entries, achieving a 30% reduction in "no-change" reparse signals within the controlled prototype environment by end of June 2026.
- *Current growth projection based on data from January 2023 - August 2025 is 2%
- The number of Wikidata entities used in Wikipedia and the sister projects increases 7% per year.
Wikimedia Deutschland wants to invest in skill and capacity development for Wikidata software development and support local Wikibase ecosystem communities in the Wikimedia movement. We want to achieve this by continuing our support in our established partnerships and scale and stabilize those existing structures in the global majority further.
Strategic Goal 2 – Mehr Technology Creators
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Movement or movement-adjacent partner groups outside Europe and North America have the resources and capacity to carry out technical initiatives that strengthen the Wikibase ecosystem communities and foster digital skills development.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Movement or movement-adjacent partner groups outside Europe and North America actively collaborate with us on a regular basis by participating in planning meetings, governance structures, or technical discussions and report that collaboration with us is relevant and supportive to implement their technical initiatives and have the social, technical, financial means to strengthen the Wikibase ecosystem communities and implement their technical initiatives.
- At least 1 new or significantly adapted application is released by these groups and recognized as useful by affected communities.
Wikibase Cloud is Wikimedia Deutschland's software-as-a-service offering that enables people to create their own Wikibase instance with just a few clicks. We strive to continuously lower the barrier for people to explore the Wikibase Ecosystem; and to make it easier than ever before to create, connect, and grow a collaborative, linked knowledge graph.
Strategic Goal 1 – Strong Infrastructure
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The ability to federate knowledge across instances has improved, creating a viable path for taking load off of Wikidata.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We increase the Wikidata Allowlist by 40 endpoints in the period between July 2025 and June 2026 (so by the end of Q2).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The distributed Wikibase ecosystem is more sustainable because of clear data governance policies, increased feature parity, and interoperability/smooth transitions across products.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - A first version of the process implementing the Wikibase Cloud's acceptable use policy has been documented and piloted by end of Q2, and the process is fully running by end of Q4.
- We understand the flow and activation of Wikibase cloud users, supported by analysis of quantitative data, documented in one assumptions map covering user segments, journeys, and reasons for disengagement.
- We increase the percentage of instances (active & inactive) with known purpose running on the platform from 25% (baseline from October 2025) to 50%.
- By Q4, we increase Wikibase Cloud's feature parity with Wikidata by implementing 4 relevant Wikidata features.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Stability, sustainability, and scalability of infrastructure has improved to ensure the long-term resilience and thriving of the Wikibase ecosystem.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We establish a sustainable update strategy for Wikibase Cloud that ensures long-term interoperability across the Wikibase ecosystem.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Users holding and contributing marginalized knowledge find the Wikibase LOD ecosystem (Wikidata, Wikibase Suite, and Wikibase Cloud) attractive for their use cases.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We establish a baseline to measure the prevalence of marginalized or underrepresented knowledge by end of Q2.
- By Q2, out of all instances declared as holding marginalized knowledge and who requested to join/remain permanently in the Wikibase Cloud infrastructure, at least 90% have been accepted.
- In the period between June 2025 and June 2026, we supported and published 10 examples / guides created by and for users holding marginalized knowledge who use Wikibase Cloud for their use cases.
- Support and/or co-develop at least 4 capacity-building initiatives (e.g., training, mentorship, resources) for marginalized knowledge projects.
Wikibase Suite is Wikimedia Deutschland's offer for self-installation and self-hosting of the Wikibase software. Wikibase Suite is aimed at public and open knowledge projects.
Strategic Goal 1 – Strong Infrastructure
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: We have made Wikibase self-hosting operations more accessible, robust and easier to manage, fostering project success.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - The ease of self-hosting improves, as measured against the baseline metric and target defined in Q4 2025 (ease of self-hosting).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The ability to federate knowledge across instances has improved, creating a viable path for taking load off of Wikidata.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - The number of Wikibases that reuse Wikidata ontology increases by at least 6 instances. (Baseline June 2025: 1)
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The distributed Wikibase ecosystem is more sustainable because of clear data governance policies, increased feature parity, and interoperability/smooth transitions across products.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - By Q4, we increase Wikibase Suite's feature parity with Wikidata by implementing 10 relevant Wikidata features.
Strategic Goal 4 – Community Growth
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The communities of the Wikibase ecosystem continue to grow.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - By Q2, we understand the flow and activation of new and existing users of Wikibase Suite by delivering one assumptions map covering user segments, journeys, and reasons for disengagement.
- 12 new self-hosted Wikibases are created over the course of the year.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: There is an increased awareness of the Wikibase ecosystem, and our existing communities are actively engaged and supported.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We present at 3 non-open source events about the Wikibase ecosystem.
- We increase monthly website visits by 10% on wikiba.se by end of Q4. Baseline: 330 visits per month (2025)
- In order to better understand the needs of our users on the visibility of the Wikibase instances available on the ecosystem, we deliver a prototype, by the end of Q2, that facilitates ecosystem-wide discovery of stable Wikibases that are intended for federation and reuse by wider audiences.
- By the end of Q4, we have received at least 10 positive feedback on our prototype, validating that it has helped discovering wikibases, and accessing their data.
- We publish new showcases (blogs/website showcases) for Wikibase ecosystem from at least 4 different knowledge areas.
The Wikibase Reuse team is focused on making Wikimedia's linked open data accessible to the world, enabling the knowledge to be used to build impactful products and projects.
Strategic Goal 6 – More End Users
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: We offer new and/or improved access methods and they are increasingly used.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - There is a 5% increase in REST API usage.
- We have created one assumptions map of reuser groups and journeys that guides improvements to access methods and documentation, resulting in more reliable resources.
- At least 20 unique user agents access the Wikidata Vector Database API each month. (Target will be defined in December 2025 - so we have enough data to define a meaningful target)
- The vector database contains embeddings in at least 5 languages and at least XX requests are made to query data outside of English Wikidata. (Target will be defined in December 2025 - so we have enough data to define a meaningful target).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Improved (or new) reuse options are effectively taking load off high-cost options, such as WDQS.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - By the end of Q2, there's a reduced share of simple and medium-complexity queries in queries sent to WDQS/Blazegraph.
- At least one new or existing application uses the Wikibase GraphQL.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Reusers have improved access to the distributed wikibase ecosystem data.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least five mission-aligned open-source AI developers have successfully integrated Wikidata's vector semantic database into their projects.
- MCP deployment for LLM access becomes available for Wikibase instances (other than Wikidata).
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Increased awareness around reuse capabilities.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least X requests are made each month to query the Wikidata vector database. (Target will be defined in December 2025 - so we have enough data to define a meaningful target)
- Present at 3 non-Wiki events about the reuse and/or embedding projects reaching a minimum of 100 unique attendees.
- Six or more communities or related institutions expand their data reuse activities with our involvement.
The free exchange of knowledge is also ensured through civil liberties such as free speech and freedom of information, freedom of the arts, academic freedom, and protection of individuals from monitoring by third parties. That is why we lobby politicians in Germany and Brussels to ensure these Civil Liberties in the Digital Realm are not curtailed, but strengthened in such a way that they promote the common good, civil rights, democracy and ecological sustainability.
Strategic Goal 8 – More free knowledge in publicly funded institutions
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Policymakers and socio-political stakeholders increasingly adopt arguments for digital policies that are oriented toward the common good.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - WMDE's arguments and policy recommendations on digital infrastructure have been taken up by 5 policymakers.
- At least two of our arguments or policy recommendations can be found in strategy documents and/or draft bills on legislation relevant to us.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Cooperation with organizations relevant to us is being expanded and consolidated.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Ministries, authorities or institutions relevant to free knowledge request WMDE to provide lectures, workshops or expert opinions at least 15 times.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Concrete political measures for digital policy oriented toward the common good are encouraged and shaped by the F5 alliance's work.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - As part of the F5 alliance, WMDE has addressed 2 digital policy concerns at parliamentary breakfasts, new MP formats or executive exchange formats. (e.g., on digital infrastructures, platform regulation, administrative modernization, open data or open content)
- WMDE's digital policy goals have been addressed in at least 3 of the alliance's statements or strategy documents
Strategic Goal 9 – Working together for a policy of free knowledge
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Knowledge equity is positioned as a central topic of digital political justice and is perceived by more stakeholders in society as one of WMDE's fields of activity.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - The event series "Wissen.Macht.Gerechtigkeit." has taken place at least three times in 2026, can be found on all common podcast providers, and can thus increase its reach.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: WMDE has a better understanding of which political topics and forms of address are suitable for attracting members as ambassadors for our goals.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Topics and forms of address have been identified and implemented in campaign ideas.
- Initial campaign ideas have been piloted.
Important legal framework conditions are decided at international level and then implemented at national level. We therefore cooperate with other civil society organizations to ensure that our combined expertise is heard when international regulations are drawn up. We are increasingly participating in debates on the regulation of public digital spaces, particularly with regard to disinformation.
Strategic Goal 8 – More free knowledge in publicly funded institutions
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Digital public goods and commons such as Wikipedia and Wikidata are increasingly being recognized by political decision-makers as part of a sustainable digital public infrastructure and are being incorporated into corresponding national and European strategies.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Wikidata and Wikipedia have been mentioned in at least two relevant concept documents of the German government or the European Commission on digital public infrastructure.
- Wikipedia or Wikidata have been mentioned positively in at least one decision paper for political decision-makers in connection with implementation of Germany's international digital strategy.
- Supporting digital public goods such as Wikipedia or Wikidata are part of Germany's position in international negotiations, for example as part of WSIS implementation or the International Digital Dialogues.
- The "Wikipedia Test" can be presented to politicians on 2 occasions.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Stakeholders from the realms of politics, media, research and civil society are increasingly recognizing free knowledge as an important contribution to strengthening a fact-based information landscape and are incorporating it into their work.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - In at least two cases, WMDE could argue to political stakeholders that free knowledge is tool against disinformation.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Stakeholders in the processes of the Global Digital Compact and the WSIS action lines take greater account of Global Digital Compact guidelines, the multi-stakeholder approach and free knowledge in their implementation strategies.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - WMDE has participated in at least 3 relevant implementation and feedback processes, possibly in cooperation with Wikimedia Europe.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The Internet Governance Forum and the National and Regional Initiatives (NRIs) are more transparent, more visible and their structures enable greater participation by relevant stakeholders.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - WMDE is active in at least one IGF and IGF MAG committee.
- At the end of 2026, IGF-D has a more transparent structure and is involved in at least 3 further formats that are intended to make IGF-D better known and increase participation.
- WMDE positions have been adopted by the Federal Government and/or the EU institutions in negotiations in at least 2 cases.
Strategic Goal 9 – Working together for a policy of free knowledge
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: WMDE has a better understanding of which political topics and forms of address are suitable for attracting members as ambassadors for our goals.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Topics and forms of address have been identified and implemented in campaign ideas.
- Initial campaign ideas have been piloted.
At least that which is financed with public money is also a public good. This includes publicly financed research and software as well as everything that government agencies create or commission themselves, content from public broadcasting, state-financed museums, etc. Many such institutions are setting an example and making their collections and other products freely available in digital form. We are working towards enshrining the free availability of publicly financed digital goods at least as a principle in law and institutional practice to the greatest extent possible. We provide impetus, clarification and advice.
Strategic Goal 8 – More free knowledge in publicly funded institutions
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: “Public Money? Public Good!” gains influence in politics and administration as a principle to be striven for.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - In at least 2 cases, policy makers have included "Public Money? Public Good!" arguments in their speeches, speaker drafts or strategy drafts.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The reform of the Freedom of Information Act into a Federal Transparency Act is increasingly supported by political decision-makers and positions of the Alliance for the Transparency Act are being heard.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 5 politicians have taken up the demands of the Alliance for the Transparency Act or WMDE in speeches or strategy documents.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Legal and political framework conditions are increasingly favorable to the provision of open data.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - WMDE positions on Linked Open Data, provisioning practice and internalization of IT skills have been taken up in at least 3 cases by organizations or policy makers relevant to us.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: More educational content from public broadcasters is available under free license.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Three further possible cooperation partners have been addressed and cooperation with other public broadcasters has been expanded.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: A growing group of volunteers from other German-speaking digital volunteer work communities are aware of our goals for more free knowledge and can help achieve greater local reach.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Volunteers take up our goals for more free knowledge in the form of events and/or publications or incorporate them into their own goals.
Strategic Goal 9 – Working together for a policy of free knowledge
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: WMDE has a better understanding of which political topics and forms of address are suitable for attracting members as ambassadors for our goals.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Topics and forms of address have been identified and implemented in campaign ideas.
- Initial campaign ideas have been piloted.
We are committed to ensuring that openness becomes the guiding principle for contemporary, future-proof digital education in Germany. By Free and Open Education, we mean educational approaches that promote collaborative, co-creative and networked learning and teaching. This requires free and open access to educational materials, applications and products (open educational resources), as well as open educational practices that focus on learners and promote their participation and autonomy.
As an educational digital corrective entity for free and open education, we are committed to ensuring that open education is established across the board in formal and non-formal educational settings. We actively shape development processes in the field of open education resources and practices, open education technologies and infrastructure as well as the associated discourses.
Strategic Goal 8 – More free knowledge in publicly funded institutions
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Decision-makers from across the democratic spectrum take into account the principles of open education oriented toward the common good in current debates, strategies and decisions.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 6 talks have been held each quarter with decision-makers from various democratic parties across the social spectrum.
- DAt least 4 of these have resulted in a documented interest in follow-up activities (e.g., further appointments, requests for materials or exploration of cooperation).
- Wikimedia is actively requested to provide at least 6 statements, lectures, workshops, expert opinions, etc.
- In at least three verifiable cases (e.g., media coverage, committee minutes, conference documentation, etc.), concepts of education that is open or oriented toward the common good have been taken up in current education policy discourses.
- Wikimedia continues to play an active role in at least five committees, expert discussions or consultation processes by acting as a representative or defining topics, for example.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Decision-makers from across the democratic spectrum recognize Wikipedia and open education principles as an effective resource for democracy and media education, and integrate them into their recommendations.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - partly overlapping with indicator above: at least 6 meetings with decision-makers from different areas (ministries, training institutes, education servers, school supervisory authorities) take place each quarter.
- At least 4 of these have resulted in a documented interest in follow-up activities (e.g., further appointments, requests for materials or exploration of cooperation).
- Educational policy stakeholders (e.g., from ministries, training institutes, committees) have made positive statements about Wikipedia and/or open education principles as a resource for media/democracy education in internal or public contexts (e.g., at events or in documents).
- At least 3 institutional channels (e.g., state education servers, newsletters from further education institutes or education administration portals) are prepared to or have started to make materials on Wikipedia and open education accessible or to disseminate them.
Zukunft D is a cooperation network funded by the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth as part of its "Demokratie leben!" program. The aim of Zukunft D is to establish a point of contact for civil society, administration, local politics, etc. on the topic of digital democracy. Zukunft D is an initiative to strengthen democracy in a digitalized, networked society and will facilitate knowledge exchange, expand skills, and connect stakeholders and organizations in this area. The areas of activity included in Zukunft D are democracy and media education, digital systems, AI and data use, democratic values and diversity design as well as digital participation formats. The project is supported by AlgorithmWatch, aula, Liquid Democracy, the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe and Wikimedia Deutschland.
Strategic Goal 1 – Strong Infrastructure
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Relevant stakeholders from civil society, politics, administration, business and academia use the networking formats offered by the cooperative Future D project on democracy in the digitalized society.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - At least 150 people have taken part in the Digital Democracy Days.
- The working groups led by WMDE have been established and take place regularly. The opportunities for participation are visible to the public and participation is possible without barriers.
- In cooperation with our network partners, WMDE has developed and published recommendations, use cases, good practices, etc. in the fields of "Digital systems, AI and data use" and "Formats of digital participation".
Wikimedia Deutschland supports the work of Wikimedia Europe by way of financial contributions and participates in the organization's activities whenever relevant.
Strategic Goal 1 – Strong Infrastructure
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: The work of Wikimedia Europe is strengthened by financial support from WMDE, so that initiatives for free knowledge can be implemented more effectively and sustainably.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - WMEU and WMDE have defined possible indicators to evaluate the impact of WMDE's financial contribution on the infrastructure of free knowledge as a whole.
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: WMEU's work benefits from WMDE's technical expertise and input, promoting decisions and strategies that strengthen collaboration within the international Wikimedia movement.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - WMDE has participated in at least 3 WMEU events (e.g., General Assembly, Big Fat Brussels Meeting, Online GA, etc.).
- WMDE has provided feedback on at least 3 of WMEU's strategic topics/processes (e.g., Strategy Working Group, AI Working Group, etc.)
Wikimedia Deutschland’s “Free and Open Knowledge AI” (FOKAI) initiative will improve access to open data and develop tools to amplify the impact of organizations and volunteers working toward similar goals. By collaborating with like-minded organizations, curating open datasets, developing human-centered AI solutions, and funding local programs to develop their solutions, we will strengthen a connected network that empowers communities to develop their own solutions.
Strategic Goal 1 – Strong Infrastructure
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: We have a solid understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by open data, open governance, and open source in the context of artificial intelligence, enabling us to develop a shared plan for FOKAI that is both meaningful and sustainable.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - We have published a decision-oriented strategy report on use cases, vulnerabilities, potential partners, and cultural concerns related to generative AI from the Global Majority’s perspective.
- We have published a decision-oriented strategy report on open data, as well as AI governance and ethical considerations from the Global Majority’s perspective.
- We have secured funding to support the continued development of the FOKAI project in 2027.
- We have published 3 digital artifacts (presentations, blogs, podcasts, interviews) featuring expert perspectives on generative AI that align with our mission.
Strategic Goal 7 – More Usage by External Projects
‘Changes in 2026 What we want to achieve by the end of 2026: Open data curators know how to publish their data so that it can be integrated into AI projects that align with our mission and leverage the open data infrastructure.
Indicator(s) for 2026 How we will determine whether we have been successful: - Three open data curators have been experimenting with prototypes for AI workflows using Wikibase instances.
- We have developed a strategy for collaboration within the AI Commons initiative.
