There are many different ways to give and become part of the Sesame Workshop family. Foundations, corporations, moms, dads, grandparents, people who grew up on our programs – we welcome support from everyone and at every level.

To make a general contribution to the Workshop and its mission or to support a specific program area (as detailed below), please contact us at:

Sesame Workshop
Philanthropic Development, 4th Floor
One Lincoln Plaza
New York, New York 10023
Email: contribute@sesameworkshop.org

You can choose to direct your donation to specific funds or projects that serve a variety of children’s needs both in the United States and around the world. These programs include:

• Sesame Workshop Development Fund for U.S. Projects
• Sesame Workshop Development Fund for International Projects
• Sesame Workshop Community Outreach Fund
• Sesame Workshop Research Fund
• Sesame Workshop Initiative to Foster Respect, Knowledge & Understanding around the World

There are many other ways that you can become a closer part of the Sesame Workshop family, including support of our upcoming Gala.


Save the Date for Sesame Workshop's Second Annual Gala
Sesame Workshop's Second Annual Gala will be held on June 2, 2004. This fundraising event will benefit the Workshop's ongoing efforts on behalf of children worldwide. For more information about attending or contributing to the gala, please call 212-573-6933 or email us at contribute@sesameworkshop.org

Sesame Workshop Development Fund for U.S. Projects
As a Workshop, we’re constantly experimenting with new ways to use media to support the educational needs of kids. The Sesame Workshop Development Fund for U.S. Projects provides seed money to explore ideas and undertake new initiatives across a variety of disciplines (science, mathematics, geography, social and emotional development, media literacy, etc.) and media platforms (television, radio, print, interactive, and others) for children from birth to age fourteen in the United States.

Sesame Workshop Development Fund for International Projects
The Sesame Workshop Development Fund for International Projects provides seed money to explore ideas and undertake new initiatives across a variety of disciplines (science, mathematics, geography, social and emotional development, media literacy, etc.) and media platforms (television, radio, print, interactive, and others) for children throughout the world. We rely on this fund to expand efforts in countries in which we are currently working (such as Russia, South Africa, and Egypt) and to explore opportunities to develop new partnerships in regions such as India, the Balkans, and Northern Ireland.

Sesame Workshop Community Outreach Fund
Outreach projects funded by the Sesame Workshop Community Outreach Fund use the power of our beloved Sesame Street characters to communicate important health, safety and educational messages. Through public television stations and an extensive network of national and community partnerships, our outreach programs and services reach children and families in need, including low-income and minority populations. Current outreach activities include projects that promote literacy, encourage involvement in music, and help children and families learn more about such critical issues as asthma, lead poisoning, and fire safety.

Sesame Workshop Research Fund
For Sesame Workshop, research is about knowing children – and understanding their needs. It’s about seeing the world through their eyes, making sense of it from their perspective and, with the help of experts in relevant fields, giving voice to their needs and designing media programs that meet them. Support for the Sesame Workshop Research Fund goes toward developing innovative tools that help us better understand children’s developmental cognitive, social, and emotional needs.

Sesame Workshop Initiative to Foster Respect, Knowledge and Understanding Around the World
Haneen, the exuberant orange Palestinian puppet in Rechov Sumsum/Shara’a Simsim, the joint Israeli-Palestinian coproduction of Sesame Street, begins to eat a falafel. "You like falafel?" asks Dafi, her Israeli counterpart in purple. "I like falafel too!" And so it begins. From this simple discovery, a sense of possibility takes root and grows. A sense that maybe there are other things these two have in common, that perhaps, while their worlds are different, they can learn to appreciate those differences and value what they share. Small beginnings. Profound possibilities.

This is at the heart of one of our most important initiatives: to use the extraordinary power of media to foster respect and understanding among children ages 2-14 across and within countries and cultures. Ours is a vision in which messages of hate are replaced by those of possibility and promise, a vision in which children have the skills to recognize and value our interdependence, a vision in which media is used in the service of peace. As Egypt’s First Lady, Suzanne Mubarak, said at an event celebrating the Egyptian co-production of Sesame Street, "In view of the contradicting currents in the world, our need for presenting our society, and especially our children, with targeted programs grows greater – programs that develop their tolerance, strengthen their deep-rooted values, and ensure their benevolence and brotherly love and peace."

Launched in May 2002, the roots of our Initiative to Foster Respect, Knowledge and Understanding can be traced to Sesame Street in this country, as well as to coproductions around the world, including in Russia, China, and South Africa. Our efforts to help children overcome divides and demystify differences have expanded to areas plagued by ethnic and religious strife like Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Macedonia, and Cyprus, and we are considering new coproductions in the Balkans, Northern Ireland, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Rwanda, and Afghanistan.

Building on these lessons, the Initiative will result in new research, production and distribution of multimedia content that explicitly fosters respect and understanding among 2-14 year olds. The Initiative will be driven by three primary programmatic areas:

• Research to better understand what fosters hatred, identify shared currencies among children, and measure the impact of our work
• New projects for 8-14 year olds at global, regional, and grass-roots levels
• Sesame Street-related efforts for 2-7 year olds, both in the U.S. and around the world

These deliverables will span television, print, radio, online media, summits, forums, published papers, studies, and outreach to engage and galvanize kids in fundamental social change.

Research makes it clear that media can help children develop skills to challenge ignorance, seek knowledge, and achieve understanding – skills essential, we believe, to building and sustaining peace. Expanding and deepening the Initiative will require the combined efforts of organizations and individuals around the world. United in a shared vision, we’re confident we can make a difference.

To become involved, please contact us at: