What Truth does

Truth Initiative is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit public health organization established in 2000 as the designated steward of the public education funds created by the Master Settlement Agreement between major tobacco companies and the states. Its flagship program, the truth brand, runs the longest-running U.S. tobacco prevention campaign, delivering marketing, community organizing, and policy advocacy aimed at preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction; Truth Initiative reports that youth smoking prevalence has fallen from 23% in 2000 to under 2% today, with $3.072 billion in healthcare and productivity costs saved between 2014 and 2019. The organization also extends into opioid and prescription drug misuse prevention through The Truth About Opioids campaign (launched 2018 with ONDCP and the Ad Council) and a school-distributed Prescription Drug Safety curriculum developed with EVERFI.

On the product side, Truth Initiative operates the EX Program, a free digital nicotine cessation platform co-developed with Mayo Clinic that delivers personalized quit plans, daily text-message support, and an anonymous online community (EX Community). Its antecedent, This is Quitting (a 2019 text messaging product that enrolled over 750,000 vapers), was rebranded and absorbed into EX Program in 2024. Complementary offerings include the Vaping: Know the truth school curriculum, the Real Life Stories video testimonial series, a Tobacco-Free College Grant Program, and a published research and resources library managed through the Schroeder Institute. Core technology is text-message-driven delivery with web enrollment at join.exprogram.com, web forums at excommunity.becomeanex.org, and curriculum distribution through EVERFI to middle and high schools.

Truth Initiative's revenue mechanics are multi-source rather than transactional: it draws on Master Settlement Agreement allocations, state Attorney General settlement funds (including from JUUL), government grants (notably ONDCP), corporate research sponsorship (Leidos), donated media from major platforms (Amazon, Facebook, Google, YouTube, NBCUniversal, Turner via the Ad Council), and an affiliate-style discount partnership with Blip nicotine replacement therapy products. End-user products (EX Program, This is Quitting, all curricula) are free to individuals, and there are no paid tiers. Go-to-market combines product-led growth (text keyword self-enrollment, web registration), community-led youth activism and ambassador programs across at least seven states, and event-driven public education campaigns (e.g., the Emmy award-winning opioids campaign). The customer base is broad and consumer-facing, segmented primarily by age (13-25 youth/young adults) and secondarily by targeted communities (LGBTQ+, Black/African American) and institutions (middle/high schools, colleges). Geographic scope is restricted to the United States.

Name

Truth

Legal name

Truth Initiative

Website

https://thetruth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Truth Initiative is a U.S. nonprofit public health organization running the truth anti-tobacco campaign and the EX Program digital nicotine quitting platform, serving primarily youth and young adults aged 13-25.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tobacco Prevention and Nicotine Cessation

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Prevention & Recovery Lifestyle Education (Non-clinical) (EDAAAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Substance Use Prevention & Student Assistance Programs (School-Based) (EDAKAMAJ)

Keywords

• Tobacco prevention education
• Nicotine cessation programs
• Youth public health
• Digital quit support
• Substance use prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Master Settlement Agreement Funding: Truth Initiative was created as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement with tobacco companies, providing ongoing public health funding.
2. Government Grants and Partnerships: Funding from Office of National Drug Control Policy, state Attorney General settlements (JUUL settlements), and government grants for public health initiatives.
3. Partnership Revenue (Blip): Partnership with Blip for nicotine replacement therapy products. EX Program members receive 25% off Blip products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Truth Initiative operates the truth anti-tobacco public education campaign and the EX Program, a free digital nicotine cessation platform developed with Mayo Clinic that delivers personalized quit plans, daily SMS coaching, and access to an anonymous online community (EX Community). The organization also runs The Truth About Opioids Emmy-winning awareness campaign and digital school curricula (Vaping: Know the truth; Prescription Drug Safety: Know the truth) to prevent youth and young adult addiction to nicotine and other substances.

Product overview

Truth (operated by Truth Initiative) offers a portfolio of public health education products centered on preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting. The primary offerings include the truth anti-tobacco campaign brand (active since 2000), the EX Program digital quitting platform developed with Mayo Clinic (which subsumed the former This is Quitting text messaging program), The Truth About Opioids Emmy-winning campaign, and the Prescription Drug Safety curriculum developed with EVERFI. Supporting products include the Real Life Stories video testimonial series, the EX Community peer support forum, the Tobacco-Free College Grant Program, and a published research and resources library. The portfolio is organized around a campaign/education model rather than a software-as-a-service platform architecture — all offerings are free to end users and funded through the Master Settlement Agreement and public health partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EX Program: A comprehensive digital quitting program developed by Truth Initiative with Mayo Clinic, providing personalized quit plans, text message reminders, and online community support for quitting nicotine.
• This is Quitting

Products and services

• EX Program A free, comprehensive digital nicotine cessation program for individuals 13 and older, providing personalized quit plans, daily text-message coaching, NRT guidance, and access to the anonymous EX Community of quitters. Developed by Truth Initiative with Mayo Clinic.
• truth anti-tobacco campaign The flagship public education campaign of Truth Initiative, combining national advertising, policy advocacy, and community organizing to prevent youth and young adult nicotine addiction and shift attitudes away from smoking, vaping, and nicotine use.
• The Truth About Opioids An Emmy award-winning public education campaign designed to help young people understand the risks of opioid misuse, addiction, and the pathway from prescription opioids to illicit drugs, in partnership with the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Ad Council.
• Vaping: Know the truth digital curriculum An online digital prevention curriculum for middle and high school students focused on the facts about vaping, e-cigarettes, and nicotine addiction, distributed through educational institutions as part of truth's prevention education mission.
• Prescription Drug Safety: Know the truth curriculum A middle and high school curriculum developed in collaboration with EVERFI that educates students about the facts, risks, and dangers of misusing prescription medications and counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, modeled after the success of the Vaping: Know the truth program.
• Tobacco-Free College Grant Program A grant program funding college campuses to adopt 100% tobacco/vape-free policies, supporting student activism and campus-level tobacco control efforts across the United States.

Quantifiable outcome

• Youth smoking prevalence reduced from 23% (2000) to under 2% today
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 June 2018Launched The Truth About Opioids public education campaign in partnership with ONDCP and the Ad Council to help young people understand dangers of opioid misuse.
• Ad CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 June 2018Partnership for The Truth About Opioids campaign. Ad Council provides media partnerships and donated media support from major platforms.
• Mayo CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEX Program developed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic experts. Mayo Clinic provides clinical expertise and informed the development of quit support materials and text message content.
• BlipminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlip provides nicotine replacement therapy products (gum, lozenges, toothpicks). EX Program members receive 25% discount on Blip products through this partnership.
• EVERFIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Prescription Drug Safety: Know the truth curriculum, modeled after the success of Vaping: Know the truth.
• Amazon, Facebook, Google, YouTube, NBCUniversal, TurnercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor technology and media platforms providing donated media support for The Truth About Opioids campaign.
• Columbia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus tobacco/vape-free policy initiative with student leaders hosting awareness town halls and advocating for policy changes.
• Youth Engagement AllianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Youth Engagement Alliance for youth activism and tobacco prevention engagement.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Lung Association: Major nonprofit running tobacco-prevention advocacy, cessation programs (Freedom From Smoking), and youth education campaigns — directly overlapping Truth Initiative's mission and target populations.
• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: National advocacy organization focused on reducing tobacco use, particularly among kids, via policy campaigns and state-level action — directly comparable mission, funding model, and federal/state partnerships.
• Smokefree.gov (NCI): National Cancer Institute's flagship cessation portal offering text-based quit programs (SmokeFreeTXT) and live chat — directly competitive with EX Program for evidence-based digital cessation users in the U.S.
• The Real Cost Campaign (FDA): FDA's nationwide youth tobacco prevention mass-media campaign targeting adolescents — directly comparable in objective, audience (13–17), and school-anchored distribution.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: Large incumbent health nonprofit with a tobacco-control portfolio (research funding, policy advocacy, Quitline). Comparable as a broad-scope peer with overlapping cessation and prevention priorities.
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (OSAH): Federal Office on Smoking and Health runs Tips From Former Smokers and youth cessation initiatives, setting national agenda and funding state-level programs — a broader incumbent that defines the prevention landscape Truth Initiative operates within.

Emerging players

• Pelago (formerly Quit Genius): Digital substance-use management platform offering employer- and payer-paid smoking cessation programs — directly competing for the evidenced-based digital cessation category and contracting with U.S. employers and health plans.
• Pivot (formerly Carrot Inc.): Digital tobacco cessation platform with FDA-cleared carbon monoxide breath sensor and B2B employer contracts — competes on the same clinical-efficacy positioning as EX Program.
• 2Morrow Inc. Evidence-based digital therapeutic for tobacco, vaping, and opioid use, distributed via employers, health plans, and state agencies — adjacent competitor in mobile/text-based cessation delivery.
• Public Good Projects: Public health communication nonprofit that runs large-scale, social-media-native behavior-change campaigns including anti-vaping work for youth — adjacent emerging peer in youth-focused public-health campaign production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/truthorange
• Facebookfacebook.com/truthorange
• Instagraminstagram.com/truthorange
• TikToktiktok.com/@truthorange
• Xx.com/truthorange

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Truth