Sesame Workshop

What it reported doing in 2024

International social impactsesame workshop's (sw) international social impact (isi) group advances early learning and child well-being globally in service of our core mission: helping kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Working across south asia, sub-saharan africa, the middle east, latin america, and crisis-affected contexts worldwide, isi collaborates with ministries of education, ngos, philanthropic partners, and community organizations to deliver culturally relevant content, strengthen institutional capacity, and embed sustainable early learning models within national systems. (continued in schedule o)fy25 was a year of significant impact and strategic adaptation. The conclusion of several USAID-supported initiatives in bangladesh, india, and iraq required a thoughtful realignment of resources and priorities. As a result of the sudden shift in the funding landscape, we made the difficult decision to close our operations in iraq and bangladesh. We are further positioning the department for long-term sustainability and growth by sharpening our thematic focus to align more closely with content strategy and organizational priorities, while managing a streamlined portfolio of funded projects for both u.s. And international uptake. We are replicating proven program models through efficient, collaborative design processes; responding to evolving child and family needs using research, data, and partner insight; and investing in targeted pilots and strategic partnerships to drive innovation, scale, and expanded reach.across our regional offices and global programs, we continued to expand our multi-platform media content and evidence-based direct services, sustaining strong reach and meaningful outcomes for children and families and ensuring a more resilient organizational foundation for the work ahead. Regional and country programs: bangladesh: for over 20 years, sisimpur - sesame workshop's bangladeshi co-production - has been a cornerstone of early childhood media in the country, reinforcing foundational literacy, numeracy, social-emotional learning, gender equity, and disability inclusion for millions of children. In fy25, sisimpur seasons 15 and 16 aired nationally, generating over 249 million youtube views and more than 13 million cumulative watch hours. The series will continue airing on multiple broadcast channels through 2027. The USAID-funded sisimpur direct-service project reached 34,606 children, 1,251 educators, and 11,624 parents and caregivers across 250 schools, strengthening inclusive teaching practices and community engagement. An additional 17,342 students, parents, and teachers participated in the internet-smart generation initiative, which promoted digital literacy and safe internet practices through structured classroom sessions, teacher training, and caregiver awareness programming.through the lego foundation-funded play to learn project, sesame workshop bangladesh developed and disseminated an "ecd homekit", containing play and learning materials children and their families to use at home, reaching 1430 rohingya children and 570 children from the host community. Sesame workshop bangladesh also developed and distributed 20 newly developed rohingya storybooks that were integrated into programs of 11 partners and into 62 government primary schools. Finally, in the reporting period, sesame workshop bangladesh partnered with save the children to integrate sw content into the myanmar kg curriculum for rohingya children in 20 learning centers of rohingya camps, reaching around 795 kg-grade students.the conclusion of USAID funding had a significant impact on the bangladesh office's financial sustainability. Following careful review, sesame workshop made the decision to wind down its bangladesh country office in fy26. The team concluded its work having delivered measurable impact and expanded access to high-quality educational media across the country. All developed materials remain accessible through broadcast a

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 75.9%; rating input score 76
• Program expense ratio: 78.9%; rating input score 79
• Fundraising efficiency: $14.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Pass
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Pass
  • Conducts site visits: Pass
  • Requires grant agreements: Fail
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 45th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 6.1%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.45; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.5%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings