2023 Annual Impact Report
A better world for children, whatever it takes.
Joyful learning that enriches minds and expands hearts. Enduring support that empowers families to thrive through the toughest challenges. Look back at the difference we made this year for children around the globe — with support from friends like you.
We continue advancing our mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. See highlights of our work in action.
Emotional Well-Being
When families reported a worrying rise in mental health distress among young children, Sesame responded. This spring we launched new content and resources that equip caregivers to support children as they work through big feelings and cope with challenges. Our approach spans the spectrum of emotional well-being, whether children are thriving, experiencing distress, or somewhere in between.
Crisis Response
This year we expanded our support for children enduring the traumas of war and displacement. Now at work in Ukraine, Bangladesh, Latin America, and the Middle East, Sesame is bringing hope and early learning to families at all points in their journey, from crisis zones to migrant routes to resettlement communities.
(NYU Global Ties for Children, 2023)
The Global Sesame Effect
Our famous combination of media and Muppets continues to fuel our impact, creating heartfelt connections that reverberate around the globe. Today Elmo, Big Bird, and beloved characters tailored to local needs reach more families than ever before.
Even as millions see our programs on broadcast channels worldwide, we’re also evolving with the media landscape. From YouTube Kids to WhatsApp Chatbots, we’re delivering educational content in innovative ways that meet kids and parents where they are and deepen a sense of belonging that spans generations.
Supporters & Partners
Visionary partners power our mission to help children grow stronger, smarter and kinder. Thanks to their financial and strategic support, Sesame Workshop is reaching more families, educators, and community providers today than ever in our history.
Partners In Impact
Meet some of the visionary organizations helping to power our work around the world, with life-changing impact.
Quest Diagnostics
With support from Quest’s pioneering Health Equity initiative, Sesame Workshop is tackling systemic health barriers that affect family well-being across generations. Our collaboration includes bilingual resources and culturally-relevant programs that ensure all families—regardless of zip code, income, or skin color—build healthy practices for life.
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
This year the Hilton Foundation awarded Sesame Workshop $6 million to build on our ongoing collaborations with Hilton to support refugee and migrant-hosting communities. An investment in inclusion and belonging worldwide, their generous support is helping us foster social cohesion in communities around the world transformed by resettlement.
MetLife Foundation
For over a decade, we’ve partnered with MetLife Foundation to prioritize financial empowerment for families early on. Now at work in communities from Latin America to China, this work is equipping children and adults with proven strategies for saving and planning, a basis for lifelong financial health.
USAID + Department of State
To uplift children and families affected by the war in Ukraine, the U.S. Agency for International Development is supporting our efforts to deliver localized Sesame Street content designed for specific challenges. Our new videos and resources for teachers help these children process the trauma they’re experiencing and look forward with hope.
Funding Supports $25,000-$1,000,000+
$1,000,000+
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Just Play Cares
LEGO Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
New York Community Trust
New York Life Foundation
Peter G. Peterson Foundation
U.S. Agency for International Development
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of State
World Vision, Inc.
Just Play
$500,000–$999,999
MHSSP
PNC Foundation
PSEG
U.S. Department of Defense
$250,000 – $499,999
Anonymous
Bank of America
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Jones/Davis Family
PSEG Foundation
$100,000 – $249,999
American Greetings
Anonymous
Califia Farms
Marlene Hess and James D. Zirin
Christy and John Mack
Ogden Cap Properties
Pfizer Inc.
P&G
Diane Sawyer
SBI Life & SBI Foundation
Ann and Andrew Tisch
U.S. Administration for Children and Families
United Airlines
YouTubeKids
$50,000 – $99,999
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Gary and Lori Cohen Charitable Fund
CSF
Carla Harris
Lego Group
Jenna Mack
Anne and Vincent Mai
MetLife Foundation
Munchkin
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Tishman Speyer
Sherrie and David Westin
Windy Investments Pvt. Ltd.
$25,000 – $49,999
Anonymous
Afsaneh Beschloss
Bloomberg L.P.
Jennifer and Shawn T. Carolan
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Delaware River Solar
Vanessa and Lee Eastman
Kathy and Henry Elsesser
Goldman Sachs Gives
Myrna Katz Greenberg and Stephen Greenberg
The Marc Haas Foundation/Sydney and Stanley S. Shuman
Jacqueline and Frans Hijkoop
IIFL Foundation
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Kaufman Astoria Studios
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Macy’s Branded Entertainment
Michael and Elizabeth Manasse
Janet and Tom Montag
Rattner Family Foundation, Inc.
Miriam Rivera
Gabrielle Sulzberger
Anita Tandon and Sujit Chakravarthy
Unilever
UnitedHealth Group
Virtual Running Club
Warner Bros. Discovery
Weiss Family Foundation
Mrs Wordsmith
Sarah and Stephen Youngwood
Funding Supports $500-$24,999
$15,000 – $24,999
The Briar Foundation
The Ford Foundation
Jane D. Hartley and Ralph Schlosstein
W. K. Kellogg Foundation Trustee Fund/ Ruth Cox and Milton Chen
L&T Infotech
The Lindley Foundation
Partners Capital Investment Group
Rohan Rai
$7,500 – $14,999
Mariam and Zaid Alsikafi
Apple TV+
Kenneth Cole
Cheryl and Blair Effron
First Republic Foundation
Friedman Kaplan Seiler Adelman & Robbins LLP
Dolores and Tommy Gahan
Glancy, Prongay, & Murray
Guru Animation Studio
Robert Hasday
Hearst
Hogan Lovells LLP
Iger Bay Foundation
The Honorable Valerie Jarrett
JPMorgan Chase & Co
Margo and Jimmy Nederlander
Tara and Michael Peterson
Blair Powers
John Pritzker Family Fund
John and Sarah Richardson
Target
The Travelers Companies, Inc.
David Wardrop
Ellen A. Wartella
Leslie K. Williams and
James A. Attwood, Jr.
Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation
Mary and Jeffrey Zients
$2,500 – $7,499
Anonymous
Anonymous
Kriti Bansal
Willow Bay and Bob Iger
Beaches Resorts
Andi and Tom Bernstein
Susan Berry and Brian Moynihan
Barbara Breen and Joseph Salvo
Burke Family Foundation
Anna Cathcart
Centric Brands
Kenneth Chenault
Corporate Synergies Group
David and Maureen Cote
Katie Couric
Paul Dimitruk
Disguise, Inc.
Jennifer Dorr
Jodie Eastman
Irene Hong Edwards and William Edwards
Zita Ezpeleta and Kewsong Lee
Erin and Peter Friedland
Anonymous
Hilary and Bryant Gumbel
Maryanne and James Gutknecht
Suzanne and Phillip C. Handal
Handcraft
Lisa Henricksson and Jim Kelly
Jane Henson Foundation
Rachel Hines and Michael Cembalest
Paul Hinton
Judy Honig and Stephen Robb
Meredith Jenkins
Amy Jordan
Grace Koo
Carl Kuehner
Deborah and Peter Lamm
Kim Larson and Gary Knell
Lerner Publishing Group
Little Sleepies
Federica Marchionni
The Markle Foundation
Ross Martin
Christiane McCloud
Carolyn McMicken and Michael Shoemaker
Audrey and Danny Meyer
MicroMem
Jamnah Morton & Trevor Marshall
Milind Nerurkar
Paul Otto
Alexis and Ed Pappas
The Clifford and Hazel Pash Charitable Fund
Sallyan and Stephen Pelletier
Deborah Quazzo
Random House Children’s Books
Debbie and Rick Rieder
Florence Ann Romano and The Agape Foundation
Cathy Russell and Tom Donilon
Peter and Susan Solomon Family Foundation
Woodie Stevenson
Adam Stewart
StoryToys
Carolyn Tastad and Robert Young Family Foundation
Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum
The Trees Family
Rebecca Turk, Augment Therapy Inc.
Cathy Valeriano
Viatris
Dr. Teresa Waner and Milton Waner
Emily Youngblom
$1,000 – $2,499
Katie Albright and Jake Schatz
Nikolaus Belling
Katie and J.R. Berger
Lisa and Jeff Bewkes
Carolyn Boitnott
Susan and Wes Bowen
Margaret Boyden
Sheri Bronstein
Laura Brown
Sally and Ronald S. Burns
Dwight and Toni Bush
Sondra Campbell
Joanne Chan
Juju Chang and Neal Shapiro
Nichole Charfoos
Susan C. and Edward J. Ciolkosz
Jill and Dan Ciporin
Richard Cochran
Tracy and Adam Collins
Courtney Coombs
Maria Cuomo and Kenneth Cole
Nicole and Paul Dunoguez
Juanita Evans
Karen Falk and Michael Goldman
Anne-Laure and Laurent Faracci
Regina Ferguson
Kaitlin Fink
Douglas Golann
Brett Goldstein
Kevin Gore
Lance Gotko
Cynthia Hampton
Dr. Zachary Herrmann
Miranda and Philip Kaiser
Sheila Kelly
Kiki Kennedy
Dr. Rebecca Kurth
Marianne Lake
Andrea and Jeffrey Lomasky
Carey Lowell
Connie and Bob Lurie
Samantha and John-Claude Saltiel
Kelley McCormick
Juliane and John McDermott
Jacquelyn and John McElhaney
Mike Mcmanus
Sophia Mills
Martha Minow
Sean Moran
Srikanth Nallamothu
Christopher Neylan
Rebecca Ng
Sanford Nusbaum
Zachary Oden
Bruce Phillips
Dr. Ryan Pirooz
Veronique
Dr. Kyle Pruett
Deborah Roberts
Brett Robinson
Nancy Rubin
David Saffold
Edward Siciliano
Silda Wall Spitzer
Geoffrey Stirling
Jason Tomita
Meredith Vieira and Richard Cohen
Lynn and John Vottero
Kathy Calvin
Virginia Weisz
Alison Wood
Lee and Robert Woodruff
CPP Associates
Gil Shiva
$500 – $999
The Frances and Benjamin Benenson Foundation
Heart Sing Foundation
Nancy Alliegro
Megan Antoncich
Judith and Alan Applebaum
Colleen Begley
Martha Bicknell
Laura Blasi
Joseph Bogusky
Jonathan Bray
Matthew Brennan
Lisa Burke
Mark Butler
Sal Cataldo
Victor Chan
Grace Petersen Colby
Alexis Cole
Del Conkright
Elena Haase Cox
Sue Cushman and David V. Britt
Tracey Daniel
Stephen Dilts
Lindsay Diokno
Christie Doak
Elizabeth Donley
Maura Edmonds
Rebecca Evans
Prentiss Feagles
Lauren Fenenbock
Karen Flitterman
Tessa Sage Flores
Leigh Gallagher
Virginia Gibson
Anonymous
Janice Green
Harold Gronenthal
Handler Family
Dana Hansen
Dr. Arian Hatefi
Allison Hickey
Brett Hickey
Ann Van Hine
Beatrice Hines
Jane Hitchcock and Jim Hoagland
Ilana Horwitz
Crystal Hudak
Linda and Morton Janklow
Gabriela Janssen
Friend Jones
Jenny Kane
Lynn Kataoka
Courtney Kenneally
Anna Kurtz
Janet Kutner
Dr. James Leckman
Leslie Lee
Kim Letter
The Loesch Family Trust
Raven Lok
Vivian Lynn
Melanie Marshall
Michel Martin
Marie Maynard
Jennifer McClear
Kimberly Mccleskey
Melinda Eaton
Jennifer and Janet Merriam
Mark Middleton
Jennifer and Steven Millman
Angela Montuori
Briana Murray
Deborah Neimeth
Steve Nelson
Joanne Newcomb
Nancy and John Novogrod
Julie O’Connor and Daniel Burstein
Alice Oestreich
Herbie Ong
Mike O’Reilly
Gary Pasquaretto
Floyd Pence
Wendy Pincus
Angela Powel
Erin Prest
Stephen Prest
Stephen Propst
Siobhan Rausch
Judith Remondi
Carmen Rexach
Bill Ritter
Timothy Robert
Natasha Lance Rogoff
Rochelle Rojas
Jennifer Rusk
Pamela Ryckman
Patricia and Tom Sanders
Ken Scarborough
Larkin A. and Daniel Schmidt
Jeremy Seider
Jennifer Seloover
Lori Semeraro
Angela Sharp
Nora Shepard
Stuart Smith
Jaclyn Solomon
Deborah Tilley
Brian Tillman
Wendy Vanderzee
Ashley Venetos
Lela Vickery
Wendy Walker
Jean Weinberg
Susan Weiss-Shannon
Dee White
Debbie Wilhelm
Joy Williams
Scott Willie
Heather Wims
Nola Winterbell
Kenton Wood
Carole Wright
Lauren Wyckoff
Juliette Zener and David Fairman
Invest in Children. Help us Build a Better World.
Wherever children need support, Sesame is there. And your support is critical. Your donation in any amount contributes to a better world for children today … and the future they will build tomorrow.
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Achieving Impact, Advancing Research, and Leveraging Results
Reflecting on Ahlan Simsim’s Fifth Year
November 14, 2023
Sesame Workshop Releases New Content to Support Children and Families Dealing with Grief and Loss During Children’s Grief Awareness Month
November 1, 2023
Sesame Workshop Expands Emotional Well-being Initiative with New Emotional Literacy Resources
