Welcome

Puppetry is the art of bringing an inanimate object to life. Rooted in ancient history, puppetry boasts a rich global heritage with diverse styles flourishing across countless cultures. While puppetry has expanded to include complex technology, we believe that the true magic of puppetry happens when it is experienced live and the puppet is brought to life directly or indirectly by a human hand.

My father, Jim Henson, was one of the most famous puppeteers in the world. He believed in the power of puppetry to entertain and to educate but he also embraced puppetry as a means of individual creative expression. He was active in the national and international puppet communities and supported professional puppeteers working in their own unique styles. Since 1982, the Jim Henson Foundation has awarded more than 1200 grants for the development and presentation of new full-length works of contemporary professional American puppet theater, with a focus on excellence in puppet design, performance, and execution. Each year the number of applicants and the scope of their artistic vision grows. We are proud to support the extraordinary work of so many fine artists. If you are interested in learning more about our granting program, visit our Artist Grants page.

Puppetry in the United States continues to evolve and change with the times. There are vibrant communities of puppeteers in major cities such as New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis and Los Angeles, and there are extraordinary individual artists working in other areas throughout the country. Please explore all of the grants that we have made, posted by year, under Past Awards. If you are interested in learning more about an individual artist who has received a grant, use the search function on this web site to see all of the Henson grants that they have been awarded.  

From 1992 to 2000, the Henson Foundation produced a major festival in New York City showcasing the best contemporary puppet theater in the world, introducing this exciting art form to New York theater-going audiences and inspiring a new generation of artists to enter the field. You can learn more in our Henson Festival Archive and The Jim Henson Foundation Collection of Puppet Theater at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts sections of our website.

At times, the activities of the Foundation have expanded to include special projects such as four Puppets on Film festivals at BAMcinematek, a touring exhibition American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine, emergency funding for puppet theaters and mini residency programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and providing puppets and performers for a research paper on puppetry and autism. The Foundation’s primary activity remains direct support for the creation of new puppet theater and the presentation of this work through our annual granting cycle.

The specific mission of the Foundation is supporting excellence in innovative contemporary American puppet theater. Puppets in education, therapy, non professional and community theater, pageants and parades are all fascinating and exciting fields, but we do not fund them. To learn more about upcoming shows, take a look at our Puppet Happenings listings on this site.  New York listings – both Adult and Family include all shows involving puppetry. National listings include shows which have received a Foundation grant and special events of note. Museum Exhibits highlight puppetry on display, both temporary and permanent collections.  Puppetry Festivals list upcoming national and international festivals that celebrate puppetry in all its forms.  Professional Classes identify opportunities to learn more about the art.  Subscribe to our Puppet Happenings mailing list to receive highlights from our listings in your inbox every Friday. 

Whether you are an artist or an audience member, we encourage you to seek out examples of this beautiful and ancient art form.

Cheryl Henson

President 1992-present