Alumni Impact Fund Appeal From Alumni Trustee Lloyd Morrisett

Dear Friend:

There are programs and institutions that I believe make the world a better place. Two that come to mind are Sesame Workshop and the RAND Corporation.

I'm proud to have a long affiliation with both. I was co-founder of Sesame Workshop in the late 1960s and served on the RAND Board of Trustees for more than 30 years, including as its chair from 1986-1995. Each organization opens eyes and minds to new ideas and provides a platform for knowledge and better understanding of issues and of societies.

One of my favorite examples of collaborative impact is when RAND advised Sesame Street in developing programming for the children of Afghanistan in 2004. As part of RAND's initiative for Youth in the Middle East, Koche Sesame was designed to help rebuild Afghanistan's education system ravaged by war and the Taliban's repressive regime. This spring the show debuted a female Afghan Muppet, Zari, whose character focuses on girls' empowerment.

As a RAND alum, you've been part of projects whose impact touches real lives here in our country and around the world. And it's not just client-driven projects that make a difference. Some of the most innovative findings and applications coming out of RAND are self-initiated projects, which is to say, the work our staff originates and pursues through your donations.

That's why RAND created the Alumni Impact Fund (AIF) and it's why I have been proud to support this organization for the past 30 years. Over the past two campaigns, we have collectively raised more than $225,000 dedicated to funding projects voted on and selected by contributing alumni. The AIF gives us the opportunity to pool our contributions and further the impact of RAND work. I find that empowering.

I hope you'll join me today in with a donation to the Alumni Impact Fund. Our goal is to raise $100,000 for 2016 and with your help, we'll be successful, and further the impact of important RAND research.

Thank you for your important work, your commitment, and for your philanthropic support.

Sincerely,

Lloyd Morrisett

RAND Trustee, 1973 — 2007

P.S.: Please donate today at https://campaign.rand.org/alumni-impact-fund/. You can learn about various programs of support such as the Policy Circle and RANDNext for young professionals. Thank you!