Joan Ganz Cooney Center

What Joan Ganz Cooney Center does

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center is an independent research and innovation lab within Sesame Workshop, established in 2007 and headquartered at 1900 Broadway, New York. The organization conducts research, publishes frameworks, and runs structured programs (fellowships, sandbox engagements, co-design initiatives) aimed at improving the design of digital media and technology products for children and adolescents, particularly pre-teens and teens. Core offerings include the Sandbox for Literacy Innovations (a six-month program supporting six edtech product teams in evidence-based co-design with children), the Well-Being by Design Fellowship (12 mid-career designers per cohort), the Here Comes the Fun Challenge (eight grantee organizations developing digital play experiences), the Digital Habits for a Healthy Future initiative, and a portfolio of publications including the Co-Design with Kids Toolkit, The Family Tech Cycle framework, and Immerse, Play, Thrive (a developer guide for VR/AR experiences targeting youth). Its underlying technology consists of research and co-design methodologies, proprietary frameworks (such as the Three North Stars for immersive experiences and the Family Tech Cycle for parental technology navigation), and structured co-design processes facilitated with partners like The GIANT Room.

Name

Joan Ganz Cooney Center

Legal name

Joan Ganz Cooney Center for Educational Media and Research, Inc.

Website

https://joanganzcooneycenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center is a nonprofit research and innovation lab within Sesame Workshop that produces frameworks, toolkits, and programs to help developers, designers, and policymakers create better digital media and technology products for children and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Research and Innovation

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Study Skills & Academic Success Guides (Students) (EDAGAIAJ)

Keywords

• Children digital media research
• Edtech design research
• Youth wellbeing frameworks
• Literacy innovation programs
• Immersive media design

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Sponsorships and Grants: The Cooney Center relies on corporate and philanthropic sponsors who are committed to helping children reach their fullest potential through digital media. Major sponsors include Verizon, Walton Family Foundation, Niantic, Pivotal, and Susan Crown Exchange.
2. Donations: The Center accepts charitable donations, with payment processing handled through third-party service providers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center is an independent research and innovation lab that conducts research, develops evidence-based frameworks and toolkits, and runs fellowship and sandbox programs focused on children's learning and well-being in digital media. Its deliverables include publications on literacy edtech, immersive media design, family technology use, and co-design methodologies, as well as structured programs that engage edtech developers, families, and youth in product co-design.

Product overview

Joan Ganz Cooney Center is a nonprofit research and innovation lab within Sesame Workshop that advances positive futures for children in the digital age. The organization does not offer a traditional software product but rather provides a portfolio of research programs, publications, toolkits, and fellowship opportunities. Key offerings include: the Sandbox for Literacy Innovations (a developer support program), Digital Habits for a Healthy Future initiative, Well-Being by Design Fellowship, Here Comes the Fun Challenge, Co-Design with Kids Toolkit, The Family Tech Cycle framework, and Immerse, Play, Thrive publication. These programs focus on conducting research on emerging technologies, collaborating with technologists and educators, and creating evidence-based resources to support children's learning and well-being in digital environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cooney Center Sandbox for Literacy Innovations A six-month engagement program helping edtech developers incorporate evidence-based research and co-design methods with children to create more effective literacy products. Partners work with Cooney Center experts to strengthen literacy pedagogy and co-design engaging edtech with children.
• Digital Habits for a Healthy Future Initiative A research initiative exploring how families experience technology and identifying opportunities to create digital environments that support children's well-being, development, and growing independence. Conducts co-design sessions with parents and children ages 4-14.
• Well-Being by Design Fellowship A fellowship program bringing together mid-career designers, researchers, game developers, educators, and media professionals to learn about frameworks and design tech with children's well-being in mind.
• Here Comes the Fun Challenge A challenge supporting eight nonprofits and university labs working alongside students to design and scale digital play experiences that actively support the wellbeing of pre-teens and teens, aligned with RITEC well-being outcomes.
• Co-Design with Kids Toolkit An evidence-based resource designed for researchers, service providers, clinicians and others keen to involve children and young people in their work at the earliest stages of product development.
• The Family Tech Cycle A framework illustrating how families continuously navigate technology access, safety, trust, and independence. Translates families' lived experiences into actionable signals for the field.
• Immerse, Play, Thrive A two-part guide for developers and creators exploring how virtual and mixed reality experiences can be intentionally designed to help tweens and teens thrive, with three 'North Stars' for design: Emotions, Relationships, and Autonomy.
• Into the Digital Future Podcast A podcast exploring the complexities of parenting in the digital age from the perspectives of researchers, technologists, and young people themselves.

Quantifiable outcome

• Measurable improvements in engagement when student input led to redesigns (e.g., AI writing companion made less chatty)

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• ISTE+ASCDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Collaborating on student usability research in educational technology, sharing early findings ahead of a formal framework release. Focuses on bridging the gap between adult-designed edtech products and actual student needs.
• In TandemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Youth research organization collaborating on student usability research in educational technology, hosting the Youth Design Team in partnership.
• Young FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner in the Here Comes the Fun Challenge, hosting the Young Futures Academy and selecting organizations to design digital play experiences for youth.
• Sandbox Product PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Six edtech companies and startups participating in the Sandbox for Literacy Innovations, working with Cooney Center experts to strengthen literacy pedagogy through co-design with children.
• Lirvana LabsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Edtech startup participating in the Cooney Center Sandbox for Literacy Innovations, co-designing an AI writing companion with children.
• The GIANT RoomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Conducts co-design sessions with parents and children ages 4-14, and facilitates workshops and family events across the United States as part of the Digital Habits for a Healthy Future initiative.
• XR Association (XRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-host of Immersive Media and Learning forum exploring use of XR technologies in high school settings, with XRA conducting surveys with teens on XR adoption.
• School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Co-host of the inaugural Future of Childhood Salon on Immersive Media and Child Development with approximately 60 researchers, developers, and funders.
• DubitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Co-host of the inaugural Future of Childhood Salon on Immersive Media and Child Development, bringing industry expertise to the cross-sectoral meeting.
• Sesame WorkshopflagshipOthersThe Cooney Center is an independent research and innovation lab within Sesame Workshop, operating as an affiliate organization with shared mission of advancing children's learning.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Common Sense Media: Independent nonprofit that reviews, rates, and researches media and technology for children and families. It is the closest direct peer to the Cooney Center in the children's digital media research niche, with overlapping audiences (parents, educators, policymakers) and a similar nonprofit, grant-funded model.
• Children Now: California-based child advocacy and research nonprofit publishing policy analysis and convening stakeholders around children's well-being. Comparable as a peer child-focused research and policy intermediary, especially on technology and digital well-being topics.
• ISTE+ASCD: National education technology membership and standards organization (now ISTE+ASCD). Directly comparable as a research-influencing partner of the Cooney Center on edtech usability, with overlapping teacher/developer audiences and a focus on evidence-based practice.
• Fred Rogers Center: Nonprofit focused on children's media, early learning, and supporting families and educators. Comparable as a similarly sized research-oriented nonprofit serving the children's media and education space with academic and field-based resources.
• Digital Wellness Lab (Boston Children's Hospital): Hospital-affiliated research initiative generating evidence and frameworks on young people's digital media use and mental health. Direct peer to the Cooney Center in producing research-driven guidance on children's technology well-being for parents, clinicians, and policymakers.

Broad incumbents

• WestEd: Large nonprofit education research and development organization serving schools, agencies, and foundations. Comparable as a peer research nonprofit in education, but operating at a much larger scale across the full P-20 education spectrum.
• Sesame Workshop: Parent nonprofit of the Cooney Center and the broader educational media organization behind Sesame Street. Comparable through shared children's media mission and overlap in research/dissemination, though far larger in scope, budget, and global programming.
• RTI International: Large independent research institute conducting social and scientific research for governments and foundations. Comparable as a peer research-focused nonprofit serving education stakeholders, but with much broader scope and resources.

Others

• Pew Research Center: Nonpartisan fact tank that publishes widely cited research on teens, technology, and digital well-being. Comparable as a research-and-dissemination peer whose publications are often cited by the Cooney Center and inform the same policy conversation.

Emerging players

• Center for Children and Technology (Elo at WestEd successor programs): Historical research programs at WestEd studying children and learning technologies. Related as a peer research lineage focused on children and educational technology, with similar methods even if under different institutional umbrellas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CooneyCenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CooneyCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/CooneyCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joan-ganz-cooney-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/cooneycenter
• Pinterestpinterest.com/cooneycenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Joan Ganz Cooney Center