Public Funding for the Arts and Sciences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Public Funding for the Arts and Sciences - Essay Example The ironic thing is Elmo’s involvement in the whole thing, because if PBS were to end today, it would have very little impact on â€Å"Sesame Street.† â€Å"Sesame Street† and the Sesame Workshop (SW), the non-profit organization that produces it, currently depend very little on public funding. Most of what â€Å"Sesame Street† historian Louise A. Gikow (2009) has called its â€Å"endowment† (p. 268) depends upon other sources like licensing and merchandising sales from â€Å"Sesame Street† toys, DVDs, clothing, and books. â€Å"Sesame Street† dependency on federal funds occurred in its early years, when much of its initial $8 million budget came from the federal government. Early on, however, the SW recognized that if they were to survive past the first two seasons, they would have to raise money from other sources, so they established a â€Å"non-broadcasting† department. They also began producing versions of the show in other countries.