Our mission
To empower everyone, everywhere, with offline access to free educational and cultural knowledge.
Born in 2006, the Kiwix project, due to the way it operates and in particular the creation and hosting of content in ZIM format, quickly faced operating and maintenance costs. For a long time, we relied on the French and Swiss Wikimedia chapters to obtain occasional financial support. In 2018, we created the Kiwix Association in Switzerland to support our development, in particular the expansion to content beyond Wikimedia.
Governance and statutes
The Kiwix Association is governed by a General Assembly, which elects a Board of 7 members that decides on overall strategic directions.
Day-to-day management is handled by our CEO and our CTO who report to the Board every quarter.
Our accounts are audited and we publish our activity report every year. Today, most of our expenses relate to the remuneration of employees and contractors who maintain and develop the Kiwix project as a whole. Next come infrastructure-related expenses.
Vision and core values
Access
Knowledge should be available to everyone, regardless of connectivity, location, or income.
Openness
We build and share free and open-source tools and content, encouraging reuse and collaboration.
Equity
We focus on underserved and marginalised communities to help close the digital divide.
Privacy
We respect users by avoiding surveillance, tracking, and advertising.
Reliability
We provide robust tools that work in low-resource and difficult environments.
Collaboration
We partner with educators, NGOs, institutions, and volunteer communities worldwide.
Meet the Board
Amanda Bittaker
Board member
Isabelle Cohen-Solal
Board Chair
Stéphane Coillet-Matillon
CEO & Board member
Emmanuel Engelhart
CTO & Board member
Fabien Jacquier
Board member
Emmanuel Pierron
Board member
Barbla Plattner
Board member
Frederic Schutz
Board member
Joanna Thompson
Board member
Annual Reports
Total transparency on our numbers
Grants are our main source of funding and we regularly apply to the Wikimedia Foundation and other organisations. Most of this funding is tied to new projects or the development of new features.
Because this type of funding is by nature unpredictable and subject to global uncertainties, we now also offer broader services based on our solutions to companies (see pro.kiwix.org).
We also sell turnkey solutions to individuals, built around the Kiwix Hotspot (available on get.kiwix.org). Finally, our most valued source of funding remains individual donations from our users and supporters.