Our mission
Truth Initiative is dedicated to preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all.
Learn about our mission
Who We Are
Truth Initiative® is America’s largest nonprofit public health organization committed to preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all. We investigate, expose, and amplify the truth about smoking, vaping, and nicotine through groundbreaking research and policy studies, our award-winning truth® campaign, community activism and engagement, and innovations to end tobacco use.
Our impact
Our 25 years of lifesaving work has prevented millions of young people from becoming smokers — including 2.5 million between 2015 and 2018 — and helped drive down the youth smoking rate from nearly 23% in 2000 to around 2% today. We’re proud of that success, but our work won't stop until we achieve significant public health impact through policy interventions at the population level and behavioral interventions at the individual level.
See our impact
Our team
The fight to end tobacco use among young people wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and expertise of our incredible staff and board of directors.
Meet our team
Our history
It all began in 1998 with the Master Settlement Agreement, the largest civil litigation settlement in American history and a landmark agreement that opened the doors to the American Legacy Foundation, later renamed Truth Initiative.
Explore our historyWe’re proud to report on the progress we’ve made in preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all.
View annual reports
The Master Settlement Agreement changed the face of tobacco control in America.
Read about the MSA