Sesame Workshop EIN 13-2655731 Form 990 (PDF) Claim this org

Sesame Workshop FY2020 filing

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Helps children develop intelligence, physical strength, and compassion. For fiscal year 2020 it reported $246.1M in revenue, $208.2M in expenses, and $341.6M in net assets.Pt I

Founded
1970
Type
Public charity (501(c)(3)) · Arts & Culture
Location
New York, NY
Website
www.sesameworkshop.org
Filings
5 on file (2020–2020)
Revenue
$246.1MFY2020
Expenses
$208.2M
Net assets
$341.6M
People
31
Filings
5
Updates
0
More identity details & actions ⌄
EIN  13-2655731 Public charity (501(c)(3)) New York, NY Founded 1970
Form 990 (PDF)
You’re viewing the FY2020 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →
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Figures match the IRS filing checked 7/6/26 · see original: IRS
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Size
$100M+
What they do
Helps children develop intelligence, physical strength, and compassion.
Leadership
Jeffrey Dunn · President/CEO · $903K
Money in and out
$246.1M revenue, $208.2M expenses
Bottom line
87% program efficiency
Where the money goes · FY2020
Total revenue
$246.1M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$208.2M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$341.6M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $37.9M
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.87 Management & general $0.11 Fundraising $0.02
Program efficiency
87%
of spending reaches programs
Operating runway
16.4mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate
Surplus margin
+15%
revenue over expenses, this year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2020 · Form 990
Revenue
$246.1M
FY2020
Expenses
$208.2M
FY2020
Total assets
$433.6M
FY2020
Total liabilities
$92.0M
FY2020
Total revenue
$246.1M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$208.2M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$341.6M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$37.9M
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$433.6M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B87%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 320
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 418
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

3 program services account for $144.5M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2019.
01

Creation and Distribution of Educational Media Sesame Workshop creates educational content for preschool children and distributes that content in the U.S. and around the world, across various media platforms including television, digital streaming, online, radio, print, mobile, and home entertainment.

$121.9Mprogram expense
02

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL IMPACT Sesame Workshop partners with local experts, including educators, donors, media organizations, government ministries and NGOs, to develop, produce and evaluate local adaptations of "Sesame Streetdirect service initiatives that are tailored to meet the specific educational needs of a particular country or…

$12.8Mprogram expense
03

U.S. Social impact in addition to distributing its educational content on mass media platforms, sesame workshop creates and distributes multi-media educational initiatives and materials that are targeted to specific at-risk audiences or that address specific educational needs.

$9.8Mprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CSesame Workshop
EINHdr · item D13-2655731
Principal addressHdr · item CNew York, NY
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.sesameworkshop.org
Year of formationHdr · item L1970
State of legal domicileHdr · item MNY
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFArts & Culture (A320)
Ruling yearIRS BMFApr 1970

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a20
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b18
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2Yes

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2019); the FY2020 filing did not itemize Part VII
President/CEO
$903,418Pt VII · Sec A
President, Media & Edu. & COO
$615,765Pt VII · Sec A
President Global Impact&philan
$594,852Pt VII · Sec A
EVP/Creative Dir. (thru 05/20)
$527,254Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Knowledge Officer
$483,760Pt VII · Sec A
EVP General Counsel
$457,100Pt VII · Sec A
EVP, CFO
$439,629Pt VII · Sec A
EVP Strategy Research&ventures
$409,517Pt VII · Sec A

Sherrie Rollins Westin’s $1.1M as President & CEO is at the 72nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 53 $100M+ arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Sherrie Rollins Westin$1,099,259$858,697$864,748
Jeffrey Dunn$775,430$1,090,227$903,418
Stephen Youngwood$751,982$1,025,307$1,022,143$958,540$662,671
Sherrie Westin$811,811$649,499$594,852
Stephen Youngwood$615,765
Jean Brown Johnson$527,254
Kay N Wilson Stallings$527,067$525,543$522,985$510,297$438,929
Joseph P Salvo$312,288$521,954

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Program service revenue$118.9M · 48%
Contributions & grants$88.6M · 36%
Other revenue$37.0M · 15%
Investment income$1.6M · 1%
Program service revenue48%$118.9M
Contributions & grants36%$88.6M
Other revenue15%$37.0M
Investment income1%$1.6M
— government grantsLn 1e$3.2M
Total revenueLn 12$246.1M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.87 Management & general $0.11 Fundraising $0.02
Program services87%$180.8M
Management & general11%$22.5M
Fundraising2%$4.9M
Total functional expensesLn 25$208.2M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$49.2M
Total assetsLn 16$433.6M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$92.0M
Total net assetsLn 32$341.6M
Months of cash on handcomputed2.8

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2020 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $285.0M · Operating expenses/yr $208.2M
16.4 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $180.8M · Total expenses $208.2M
87%
Management & General
Management & general $22.5M · Total expenses $208.2M
11%
Fundraising
Fundraising $4.9M · Total expenses $208.2M
2%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense $4.9M · Solicited contributions $85.4M
$0.06 to raise $1
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $88.6M · Total revenue $246.1M
36%
Government reliance
Government grants $3.2M · Total revenue $246.1M
1%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $118.9M · Total revenue $246.1M
48%
Investment reliance
Investment income $1.6M · Total revenue $246.1M
+0.6%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $118.9M · Total expenses $208.2M
57%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $246.1M · Prior year —
No prior year on file
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $341.6M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $246.1M · Expenses $208.2M
+15%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $433.6M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $341.6M · Total assets $433.6M
79%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) $60.1M · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) $175.7M · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $433.6M
54%
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Jeffrey Dunn · Reported title PRESIDENT/CEO · Highest reported compensation $903K · Total expenses $208.2M
0.4%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $72.0M · Total expenses $208.2M
35%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 87%
Overhead ratio 11%
Fundraising cost ratio 6%
Investment management fee ratio 0.3%
Legal fee ratio 0.6%
Accounting fee ratio 0.3%
Fundraising fee ratio 0.03%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 3 funders$1.6M
See all 3 funders →
Grants paid · 36 grants · $74.6M · 2019–2024
New York UniversityNY · FY2024$2,146,924
Sesame Workshop International INCNY · FY2024$1,017,800
Concordia Summit INCNY · FY2024$10,000
Sesame Workshop International INCNY · FY2023$1,537,794
Concordia Summit INCNY · FY2023$10,000
New York UniversityNY · FY2022$3,125,853
Sesame Workshop International INCNY · FY2022$2,007,852
Wsj CouncilFY2022$24,800
Concordia Summit INCNY · FY2022$10,000
International Rescue Committee INCNY · FY2021$16,469,152
New York UniversityNY · FY2021$4,211,308
Sesame Workshop International INCNY · FY2021$1,778,450
WnetNY · FY2021$127,345
See all 36 grants →

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2024$170.3M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$186.9M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$271.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$195.5M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$246.1M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2020IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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