Elevate Prize Foundation recognizes the characters of Sesame Street for their legacy of teaching generations of children to prioritize compassion, kindness, and well-being, spotlighting the need to ensure their future.
Past recipients include Dwyane Wade, Michael J. Fox, Matt Damon, George and Amal Clooney, and Malala Yousafzai.
MIAMI, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Elevate Prize Foundation presented the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award today to the characters of Sesame Street for their transformative impact on generations of children through their purpose-driven storytelling. Given onstage to Sesame Workshop — the global nonprofit behind Sesame Street — at the Foundation's Third Annual Make Good Famous Summit by its Founder Joseph Deitch and CEO Carolina García Jayaram, the award celebrates the iconic children's show and its 55-year legacy as a trusted source of educational excellence and emotional support for children worldwide, and looks to ensure its future for new generations.
The Elevate Prize Catalyst Award recognizes prominent figures who use their influence to inspire global social action. To advance their mission and scale their work, recipients receive $250,000 in unrestricted funding, as well as valuable development resources and partnership opportunities. Past recipients include Dwyane Wade, Michael J. Fox, Matt Damon, George and Amal Clooney, and Malala Yousafzai, among others.
"On behalf of my friends at Sesame Street, I am honored to accept the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award, especially during Mental Health Awareness Month, a time when we reflect on the emotional well-being of children and families. With 1 in 5 children facing mental health challenges, our work feels more important than ever," said Sal Perez, Executive Producer of Sesame Street. "This award will help sustain Sesame Workshop's support for children and families facing some of the toughest challenges — whether that's struggling with mental health, experiencing homelessness, or having a parent who is struggling with addiction, and will support our ability to deliver on our nonprofit mission of helping children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder."
Perez also announced the start of production for the 56th season of Sesame Street, in which the beloved program will be reimagined, giving attendees of the Make Good Famous Summit a sneak peek of what's to come.
"We've always been committed to the idea of Sesame Street being a radical experiment, and that's the organizational ethos inspiring our latest season. We're reimagining the show, introducing a new format and an all-new animated segment exploring never-before-seen locations. The new structure will enable us to deliver more comedy and playability, so children can extend the experience beyond the screen by imagining themselves playing with or as their favorite Sesame Street friends. And, of course, we'll be welcoming celebrity guest stars to delight parents and caregivers," shared Perez.
Perez, together with Bert and Ernie, accepted the award during the closing session of the Make Good Famous Summit, a global gathering of activists, changemakers, storytellers, leaders, and culture-drivers that began on May 12. Held under the theme "A New Era of Impact," this year's convening encouraged attendees to challenge traditional models of philanthropy and impact and take bolder action, build community, and push for inclusive, actionable solutions to social challenges.
"We are proud to present this year's Elevate Prize Catalyst Award to Sesame Street — not just for decades of impact, but for proving that cultural storytelling is a frontline tool for global change. For over 50 years, Sesame Street has done what few institutions have: created a trusted space where children — and the adults who love them — develop empathy, resilience, and the value of belonging. At a time when disinformation, division, and mental health crises are surging worldwide, we cannot afford to lose public programs that model compassion and inclusion at scale. Without programs like Sesame Street, we risk a generation of children growing up without a shared moral compass or safe space to process the world around them. But if we protect and invest in this kind of storytelling, the upside is exponential — a society better equipped to raise informed, emotionally healthy, and socially conscious leaders," said Carolina García Jayaram, CEO of the Elevate Prize Foundation.
A diverse slate of leaders attended the Make Good Famous Summit for discussions on the role of culture, storytelling, and community well-being. Featured speakers included Alex Amouyel, President and CEO of Newman's Own Foundation; Kamala Avila-Salmon, Founder and CEO of Kas Kas Productions; Richard Casper, Co-Founder and Executive Director of CreatiVets and a 2025 Elevate Prize winner; Tim Chau, CEO and Co-Founder of Impact Media; Bing Chen, CEO and Co-Founder of Gold House and 2025 Elevate Prize winner; Abigail Disney, filmmaker, philanthropist, and activist; Crystal Echo Hawk, Founder and CEO of IllumiNative and a 2023 Elevate Prize winner; Ahmed Faid, Co-Founder and CEO, Dose of Society; Tommy Marcus, content creator and activist known as @quentin.quarantino; Dr. Amishi Jha, Director of Contemplative Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, Tynesha McHarris, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of The Black Feminist Fund; and Didier Sylvain, Founder and CEO of The Presence Project.
The Summit also reunited this and last year's Elevate Prize winners — an inspiring group of social impact leaders driving transformative change around the world. Through funding, capacity building, and strategic amplification, the Elevate Prize supports these leaders in raising the visibility of their work and scaling their impact to "Make Good Famous."
About the Elevate Prize Foundation
Founded in 2019 by businessman and philanthropist Joseph Deitch, the Elevate Prize Foundation is a global nonprofit on a mission to Make Good Famous. To ensure lasting impact, the organization is committed to bringing visibility to the work of changemakers and inspiring audiences on an international scale. The foundation's signature program is its annual Elevate Prize, which is awarded to 10 global leaders tackling pressing issues in innovative ways. The Elevate Prize Catalyst Award, another one of the foundation's programs, recognizes prominent individuals for their commitment to inspiring global social action and using their influence for the good of humanity. The foundation also operates the Elevate Prize GET LOUD Award, a monthly grant to fuel grassroots movements and organizers on the frontlines committed to collective action and building power among communities. The foundation's latest endeavor, Elevate Studios, was launched in 2025 to finance and distribute purpose-driven content. For more information, visit www.elevateprize.org and follow @ElevatePrize on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
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SOURCE The Elevate Prize Foundation
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