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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: July 2026 Expires: July 2028

Sesame Workshop

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards

1900 Broadway
New York, NY, 10023

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Sesame Workshop meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
Sesame Workshop's mission is to help kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

Year, State Incorporated:
1970, NY

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street and so much more. Our recipe for success is combining a curriculum that addresses children's critical development needs with the sophisticated use of media and a large dose of fun. Our work promotes learning with real, measurable results.

For the year ended June 30, 2025, Sesame Workshop's program expenses were:

Enterprises $64,762,000
Global social impact $40,756,000
Public awareness $15,332,000
Strategy and research $10,951,000
Creative $6,643,000
Total Program Expenses $138,444,000

Board Size
Not disclosed

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Telephone appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Grant proposals, Planned giving arrangements, Cause-related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Sesame Workshop's audited financial statements - consolidated for the year ended June 30, 2025.

Source of Funds
Distribution fees and royalties $84,221,000
Program support $59,013,000
Investment return, net $38,645,000
Licensing $33,402,000
Investment return designated for operations $6,960,000
Total Income $222,241,000

Programs: 80% Fundraising: 2% Administrative: 18%

Total Income $222,241,000
Total expenses: $173,319,000
  Program expenses $138,444,000
  Fundraising expenses $3,457,000
  Administrative expenses $31,418,000
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $48,922,000
Beginning Net Assets $494,886,000
Other Changes In Net Assets $-139,000
Ending Net Assets $543,669,000
Total Liabilities $75,177,000
Total Assets $618,846,000

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

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Report completed by:
BBB Foundation of Metropolitan New York